Markings: Middle Ground
by LoorTheDarkElf
Summary: After the death of the Third and the beginning of the Fifth's rule Loor and Fury are faced with one crucial decision; go home, or stay in Konoha? It would seem the most difficult decisions are also the most important. Rated for violence and sexual themes.
1. Guilty Plight

Holy hello I left you guys for a LONG time. Everyone still alive? Still hanging off the side of the cliff from part one? Wonderful. 

Okay, people new to the Markings saga, I request you go back and read part one. If you don't... well, to be honest, you're probably going to be lost, confused, and maybe just a little ticked. If you do not go back and read part one, you are not allowed to complain to me that you're any of the listed emotions above. Good? Good. 

Now then... legalities.

**Me? No, I don't own Naruto. If I did, Loor and Fury would be in the actual anime causing this trouble. But hey, a gal can dream, can't she? **

On

With

The

Fic!

OWTF!!

**...Previously...**

"_Where... is... Gaara?"_

_Kakashi seemed a little surprised, and shook his head. "You're not going after him Loor. Sasuke's already gone after him, along with Naruto, Sakura, Shino and Shikamaru." _

_Loor closed her eyes, breathing, shaking her head. Suddenly, she was right up in Kakashi's face, holding him by his vest, holding the large kunai that he would usually draw out of his own pouch to his neck. "I wasn't asking for permission, sensei... I asked you where Gaara was." _

"_Loor!" Gai sensei protested, having been watching, coming up to intervene, but Loor shot him a look that froze him._

"_His siblings took him that way."_

_Loor looked back at Kakashi, and then at the hand he had lifted up to point. Away, into the woods, beyond the wall..._

"_See ya." _

_And with that... she was gone._

**Markings- Middle Ground  
****Chapter One- Guilty Plight**

The pain Loor felt from her curse mark, she would admit, was a blessing. Without it she would have noticed how much her legs hurt. Her frantic crashing through the upper reaches of the forest beyond the village walls would be far too painful if she wasn't distracted by the burning across her face, chest, and arm that told her that she was delving deeper into the power of her curse, the black marks spreading further. She had only broken the seal to fight her sister, whom she left passed out back at the stadium, and now the curse's power was taking over.

Still... Gaara was far too important to forget. 

She felt the poison chakra that seemed to be gathered around her, no, eking out of her body to feel forward, looking for others in the woods. As she went deeper into this thick forest, which rivaled the Forest of Death if not surpassed it, she took to higher limbs, loosing track of the ground. Below she could feel the invading shinobi going the other direction. She didn't mind that. She needn't go after them.

"Gaara!!" She shouted, kicking off of tree limbs now to move faster, reaching forward as she added her chakra to her normal muscle power to launch herself towards another tree limb. Her hands clawed into it as her legs tucked and her feet contacted the branch, pitching forward and kicking off again after taking less than a second to sight her next landing area. 

Her sharp ears caught sound, and she didn't think twice before rocketing toward it, sensing something ahead. The sound... someone just crashed into something, probably a tree. Or perhaps they were thrown? More senses got mixed in. The feel of a fight was ahead, the sharp and poisonous sting of someone else's curse mark; Sasuke's... incredibly out of control like hers was, but she was embracing that lack of control. 

She was embracing that power. 

Slowing her lunges through the upper reaches of the forest, Loor was panting and looking about for the sounds she was now hearing. Naruto's voice was an obvious one, though her mind would not attempt to make sense of any words at the moment. There was another voice... so strange... like two people speaking through the same mouth, though one was not human in the least. She could feel a great deal of power; it had to be this individual. 

She stopped above the scene when she found it, looking down upon it as she was several feet above.

Below was the person she was looking for, that was for sure, along with three others. Sasuke was crouched over, spent, on a tree limb. He clutched at his shoulder, his curse writhing across his skin as he made his attempts to control it without a seal. His body was twitching, bringing up bursts of chakra and then expending them on nothing. Sakura was below as well, though passed out. She was actually held to a tree... by something Loor recognized. It looked sort of like a type of paw, sandy colored looking to be riddled with purple veins, black claws hooking onto the tree. Perhaps once it had been connected to the rest of the monster Loor knew it belonged to, but now it was dismembered, left to hold Sakura to the tree. 

It was a paw belonging to Shukaku. By the looks of it, Sakura had passed out thanks to pressure on her chest. Her breathing was shallow. 

Naruto was the real interest of this scene. He was on the offense against a beast that used to be Gaara... and almost was Shukaku. 

It was strange and grotesque as Loor saw, a form of Shukaku that added a couple feet to Gaara's natural hight, the racoon's body stemming out of Gaara's, covering half of his face, all of his body, arms, and most of his legs, leaving his feet uncovered. Both arms were intact, leaving Loor to assume he could regenerate. Of the half of his face that had been taken over by the sand there were huge fangs that kept the other half of his mouth from closing, a fair amount of drool coming out thanks to it, and spitting when he spoke. Loor hadn't a care to what they were saying... her power was about to take over again. Naruto was fighting Gaara for some reason, probably the same reason Sasuke was completely spent. Sasuke fought him, Sakura somehow got mixed up with it, Sasuke fought to exhaustion, and Naruto dropped in to finish the job...

If Shukaku could be finished. 

It was all a question of who to pounce on. She wanted to protect Gaara, but Shukaku was dominating right now. Naruto was her friend, but attacking Shukaku could damage Gaara. 

Her eyes were attracted back to Sakura's plight as Naruto and Shukaku's fight suddenly moved. They weren't going to stay in the same place for long, not when they both had the power to knock the other down a couple football fields to the ground. It seemed as if the detached appendage from Shukaku was tightening upon Sakura... 

She'd be crushed if someone didn't help her. 

She leapt down to the pink haired girl, trying to wretch the hooked claws loose of the tree's wood. 

"Loor, what the hell are you doing here?!" 

She glanced at Sasuke, snorting. At first, she didn't really get what he had said, just that he had said something. Once her mind did take the time to understand, she grunted at him, going back to making seemingly useless attempts at loosening Sakura's tight situation. 

"I came looking for Gaara... and found this shit going on! Get off your ass and help me!" 

"I'm kinda having problems with that if you can't tell!!" Sasuke snapped back, glancing up as the mobile fight between Shukaku and Naruto flashed past through the trees. Wincing, he bent his head as he made another attempt at suppressing his curse. 

"If you can't tell, so am I!" Loor growled, feeling exactly what was happening with the dismembered paw. To begin with, she assumed, it was fleshy and almost soft. Now the sand it was made of was drying out, hardening, and _shrinking. _As the claws held it in place over Sakura, the shrinking would suffocate her. 

Sasuke glared at her, but started to struggle a little to his feet.

His help, when she did eventually get it, would sadly do no good. 

* * *

When Kiba finally came around, he was confused. His mind tried to think about what had happened before he passed out, but the last thing he remembered was that ABUN healing Hinata and then... black. Fury had been there though, which caused instant worry. Was she okay?

He lifted his head up off of the ground to find himself passed out next to Hinata, Akamaru still limp on the ground as well. He didn't see Fury, which worried him more. Where was she? The ABUN was no where to be seen either. 

Slowly, Kiba pushed himself to his feet, picking up Akamaru to make sure the puppy was still alive, which he was. Tucking his dog into his hood, Kiba turned about to pick Hinata up and walk out of the hallway and back into the stadium.

It was then that he noticed the sounds all around him that should have woken up his senses. Getting out into the full light of day, seeing all of the people in the stadium either passed out or, in the case of ninja, kicking each other's asses, he was shocked out of his mind. What the hell was going on?! He gets knocked into dream land and Konoha gets declared war on! 

He quickly ducked a couple of higher level shinobi, moving into the stands and gently putting Hinata down in an empty seat. No one was bothering the passed out people, but it would seem that was because all the passed out people were not shinobi, so Kiba made a point of untying Hinata's headband and tucking it into the girl's shirt to hide it. 

He then cast his nose to looking for Fury... whom he quickly found. She wasn't far off, really. The scent led him into the center of the Chunnin Stadium, but the scent was so strong... it almost made him sick. 

She was bleeding, if he was smelling right. He went to the rail that separated the audience from the battles that had been going on before to look below to the field. 

Well, a battle certainly had taken place below. Under both Kakashi and Gai sensei's protection was Fury's broken and bloodied body. 

"Fury!" Kiba yelped, vaulting over the rail down to the ground below, quickly running up as his yell alerted Kakashi and Gai that the knocked out girl they were protecting was about to have a visitor. Gai stood over her while Kakashi intercepted the dog boy.

"Careful." Kakashi warned as Kiba got close. "She's not doing well." 

Kiba leaned around Kakashi, looking upon Fury with curiosity. It looked like all the fingers on her right hand were broken, along with her left arm, and she had other cuts and such on her body. Her shirt had been torn to pieces, and her pants weren't much better. "What happened to her...?"

"Loor did." Kakashi sighed. "And someone else, it would seem..." 

"Well she needs help!" Kiba went around Kakashi, kneeling down by Fury's head. "Why the heck is she still here?" 

"Kiba, look around." Gai gave. "Konoha has been invaded. Even if we could get her to the hospital, the place has probably been evacuated already. Kakashi insisted on staying here and protecting her." 

Kiba glanced up at the silver haired sensei, and back at Fury, sighing a little. "So... what exactly happened?"

"Take a look at her shoulder." Kakashi advised, moving a little closer as Gai departed from the little group to take on a Sound nin who had dropped onto the battle grounds. "She's been cursed like Loor's been... apparently Orochimaru caught up with what little family Loor has left. The curse mark activated when she woke up, and she went looking for a fight... and Loor showed up just in time."

Kiba looked Fury over again, finding the mark on Fury's shoulder. It was black, but different shaped than Loor's. It looked like a crescent moon facing up, like a bowl, with a dot in the open space and a second smaller dot above that. Her injuries intrigued him more now. It was an odd thought to think that Loor, who was so protective of her little sister, did this. 

He sighed, pushing to his feet and watching as Gai came back to the group, smirking at a job well done, having left his opponent knocked out instead of dead. It wasn't a mercy; it was so they had captives to interrogate later about why this was happening. 

Kiba's senses were on edge though, and getting edgier all the time. Something big was happening, aside form the invasion. Kakashi was starting to get it too, along with Gai. The three of them started looking around, and Kiba lifted his nose to seek out what was causing such a bad feeling aside from the full scale invasion that was attacking the village. 

Their answer wasn't in sight, but a large tremor ran through the ground. Whatever happened, where ever it happened, it was big. The trio looked at each other, and on an agreement of eye-contact Kakashi dashed away from the group to quickly scale the blank wall of the stadium that was part of the village wall to try and see what was going on.

He tensed at the top of the wall. Obviously, it wasn't good. 

Kakashi returned to the group faster than he left, looking very serious, and perhaps a little frightened. "Kiba, you should get out of here. You know where the evacuation bunkers are, right?" 

"What's going on?" Kiba asked, shifting slightly, glancing towards the wall, wondering what Kakashi had seen beyond it.

"It isn't good." Kakashi gave back. "It's... incredible, but..." 

Gai gave a look to Kakashi, who sighed. 

"It looks like the village is in more danger than we thought. Kiba, you need to take Fury to one of the bunkers. Do you know where they are?"

Kiba nodded slightly. Of course he knew where the bunkers were. They were strategically placed shelters through out Konoha where various high level ninja would evacuate non ninja women and young children during times of danger. The hospital probably had a bunker all its own, but Kiba knew of several he could get to. 

Fury needed to stay alive if anyone was going to get a chance to help her. 

Kakashi helped him pick her up, as not to mess with any of her injuries. Particular stress was being put on avoiding her broken arm. Once Kiba had her, he took off, promising he'd come back for Hinata. 

"Kakashi..." Gai prodded once Kiba was gone. "What did you see?"

"A demon." Kakashi looked over at his rival. "A demon from the desert... large as life."

Gai stiffened slightly, frowning. "Do you think...?"

"I'm sure." Kakashi nodded. "Just like I'm sure that... if Naruto and Sasuke are out there, they're going to try and fight him." 

Gai, who was usually full of encouragement, looked rather shaken and unsure. His confidence in Kakashi and his team was high, but... even he frowned at this situation. "Gods save them." 

* * *

Kakashi, Gai, and Kiba were not the only ones who felt the tremor as Shukaku finished his take-over of Gaara. In fact, they had been much further away from him when he changed compared to Loor and Sasuke. Both had been trying, fruitlessly, to free Sakura. Neither were trying to control their curse marks, allowing the things to act on their own. In that, both were weathering through waves of pain and power, their bodies bursting chakra for no reason. 

With how close they were to where Gaara had been, and where Shukaku now was, what Kiba had felt as a tremor felt like a fair powered earthquake to them. Sasuke, of course, had no idea of what just happened, but Loor might have had a clue with how Gaara talked about Shukaku before. 

"Keep trying." The blond girl muttered, abandoning her efforts at helping Sakura and getting ready to go towards where she thought Shukaku was. She could feel his power, and it was massive... almost sickening. 

"What the heck are you gonna do?" Sasuke gave, glaring at her. "Fight?" 

She looked back at Sasuke, and returned his glare. "I have a right to know what's happening to him." 

At first Sasuke thought she was talking about Naruto, and didn't really get it. Yeah, they were friends, but saying she had the right to know was making it sound exclusive... that's when he got it.

She was talking about Gaara.

"You _care_ about that monster?" 

She turned away from him. "Gaara's not a monster... he's just... lonely." She snorted. "Don't you dare let Sakura die." 

Loor kicked off before Sasuke could say anything, aiming to go higher. She feared exactly what had happened... and getting up higher in these behemoth trees seemed to be a good idea. 

Breaking through the upper reaches... she almost screamed. 

Shukaku stood taller than the forest by at least double, a gigantic and disgusting form that perhaps resembled a raccoon, a singular tail swinging behind him, clumsily knocking down trees. His sand colored hide was still riddled in purple veins, looking like he had been turned inside out. 

On his forehead, centered between his ears, something protruded. From the distance Loor was away, it looked like a tiny red dot compared to the rest of the beast.

It was Gaara's red hair that her eyes were picking up, the lower half of his body embedded in the creature, the upper half sticking out, leaving him free to preform jutsu to assist his demon. 

The last thing Loor noticed were Shukaku's eyes, which were usually alive with power and glowing gold. At this time, they were not, dormant and colorless.

"Oh... my... God..." 

That was about all Loor could say. Her mind wondered if Naruto was even alive at this point, and if he was how long it was going to take Shukaku to crush him. Naruto stood no chance...

She winced as her curse mark reacted to another huge amount of power flaring up, a build of chakra that was more that she'd even bring to battle. It was strange though... different... _red. _

She yelped slightly as another huge creature came onto the scene, clutching the tree top that was her perch as not to be knocked out of it by another earthquake that was caused by the arrival. Loor didn't understand it, and didn't bother to understand what she was seeing. She just did her best not to fall.

In range to confront Shukaku, a toad with size to rival him had appeared, crushing trees and turning them into kindling. This... toad actually had a type of shirt on, an a giant katana to match his size buckled in front of his brazenly orange back legs. 

Atop the toad's head, a boy stood. So far away, Loor doubted what her eyes told her about this person... but the truth was there. On top of this giant toad, Naruto stood victoriously.

This toad was a summoned creature; and Naruto had mustered enough chakra to summon him. 

"...wow." 

This wasn't over yet. 

Okay, an extra AN here, I HATE RESEARCH, so I didn't go back and re watch these episodes. I'm doing it from memory. If I got something wrong... Oh freakin' well. 


	2. The Meaning Of Power

Sorry about the delays people... Loor has been VERY busy, but I have like... six updates now! Wee! And I'm working on the next ones.

Okay here we go.

**No ownage.**

OWTF!!

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Two- The Meaning of Power**

It took a while for Loor to get over her shock, and by the time she did the fight between these two giants had already started. The giant toad, which could talk, apparently, was a voice that Loor followed while trying to get close enough to the fight to watch but far enough away to be out of the 'crush' zone. She listened to his words too, if he said anything that interested her.

Eventually she picked up about three things of interest. One, the toad's name was Gamabunta. Two, he didn't really respect Naruto, but had some other motive for obeying the blond knucklehead's commands that had to do with something Naruto did earlier that Loor didn't know about. Three, probably the most interesting for Loor, was a speculation on Shukaku's power. Oh sure, the raccoon was powerful already, but he wouldn't reach his full potential as long as his host was conscious.

Gaara was still awake; Shukaku wasn't at full power yet.

As Loor followed this booming voice from the toad, she had to wonder how long Shukaku was going to let Gamabunta talk. How long before the raccoon attacked?

How much longer did she have to figure out how to help? Loor's plan right now, honestly, was to find a way onto Gamabunta's back to join Naruto. It would be the only place where she'd be helpful.

She knew she was running out of time when her chakra reacted again to the feeling of power all around her... and it gearing up another few notches. It was from Shukaku, and pushing herself high enough to see the two giants again was the quick way to see what she didn't like.

She was closer now, able to make out the people a little better, able to see more detail on the monsters. Of course, Shukaku was the one who had changed, so that was whom her eyes went to. Staring up at the huge beast, she saw what had caused the change quickly.

Gaara's hands had come together in a jutsu of some sort, but his head was slumped forward along with the rest of his body that was sticking out of Shukaku's head. As Gaara's hands slid away from each other and Shukaku's eyes finally blazed to golden life, it was obvious what the jutsu was meant to do and had done.

Gaara had designed a jutsu for himself; to put him to sleep. He had surrendered to Shukaku!

Loor went deaf when the fight began. Gamabunta's main thing was keeping Shukaku away from where Sakura was so the girl wouldn't be crushed in the fight. Actually, that was Naruto's thing. Gamabunta was just being a good summoned creature and following orders.

A fight was a fight all the same, which meant it moved. The whole of the forest was their battleground, and as huge as it was it might have been the same size of the training grounds to these two combatants. Loor sank back into the strong tree limbs to do her best at following the fight, but these creatures didn't do 'stepping' very well. If Shukaku moved, he was either pushed or he jumped out of the way, and Gamabunta _was_ a toad. Every time it moved, Loor had to go quick to get close again, and there was always the chance that they'd move her direction and she'd get crushed.

She had no way of getting involved now... she just wanted to be close to Gaara.

The fight paused as Shukaku and Gamabunta got some distance going. There were two objectives now; keep him away from Sakura and attempt to wake Gaara up. If they restored Gaara to control by force the demon should be forced back into his body. There was just one problem; Shukaku was pretty fast for being huge. Gamabunta had no way of holding Shukaku still for Naruto to board and try and wake Gaara up.

Loor listened to this conversation, close enough and high enough in the trees to hear was Naruto was saying. A plan was being formed... If Gamabunta could use transformation jutsu to change into something with fangs and claws, he could hold Shukaku still. Problem; he wasn't good at transformation, so Naruto was going to have to help him.

Once that was finalized, Gamabunta didn't wait before charging in Shukaku's direction. Loor yelped when he did, the slipstream he left behind nearly knocking her off of her tree, again. She regained herself, kicking off of branches to try and keep in sight of Gamabunta, but eventually was forced to pick another perch in another tree to watch from afar... and worry. More than half way there and no transformation. Naruto was a ninja; he'd probably seen a lot of animals out in the woods. He could certainly think of something with fangs and claws, right?

Oh yes he could.

Loor felt it again, the red chakra, as Naruto changed his summoned creature into something else... another tailed demon, or at least the form of it.

Out of a huge cloud of smoke that always marked transformations bounded a bright orange, almost scarlet, nine tailed fox. Gamabunta quickly adapted his running to this creature, and Loor watched almost in horror as the distance between the giants closed.

She was too far away to see what happened when they made contact, and sank back down into the lower, stronger, limbs to get moving towards the fight again. She worried for Naruto, yes, but was also frantic for Gaara. How was Naruto going to wake him? What if the jutsu made it so he couldn't be woken?

She panted out of her mouth, almost spent to be completely honest. Her body was just now realizing that she had a broken bone, her nose, and was bleeding from various places around her body. Her legs had traveled at least 30 miles today, if not more, and most were sprinted. The curse had expanded her threshold for pain, and beyond.

And still, she pushed. She became dazed though, feeling various things as she drew closer. The major entities of power, Shukaku and Gamabunta, faded from existence. Her own curse began to pull back from her skin, making her feel even weaker as it withdrew to inactivity on her shoulder. Still, she estimated that she had to be close to where ever the beasts had been, and pushed to the treetops to see what could be seen.

What was seen... was nothing. She stared at first, confused, and then started downwards.

And she found them both, Naruto and Gaara, on the ground. She kept back at first, looking down. It would seem they were both done. Naruto was on his belly, Gaara on his back, both bleeding from the forehead. She assumed that was how Naruto woke him up; a good knock on the noggin. At first, they both looked dead, but Gaara opened his eyes slowly to look to his side.

Naruto, in Gaara's sight, began to inch towards his fallen opponent.

Loor saw something on Gaara's face. She honestly had never seen it before on his face, and never wanted to see it again.

He looked terrified.

At once, Gaara started screaming for Naruto to stay away from him. He had failed to kill Naruto and was suddenly sure that oblivion and non-existence was all that waited for him now. Naruto was not deterred, pulling himself along the ground by, believe it or not, his chin and his shoulders.

Loor stood frozen, listening to them. Though she'd never be able to remember the exact words, Gaara started to question out loud what made Naruto so strong, what allowed Naruto to go on when he himself had collapsed and could no longer move. Gaara's own power, he acclaimed, was from his hatred.

Naruto had his own brand of power... from protecting his friends.

There was still at least ten feet between Gaara and Naruto when Sasuke suddenly hit the scene, coming out of the trees and landing near Naruto. Loor entered the area too, though she didn't make herself as obvious. She was still watching.

"Sakura's okay." Sasuke informed. Loor noted his skin was clear. He had managed his curse back to its mark, or perhaps it had just faded like hers had. "That thing holding her to the tree just crumbled and turned to sand..." He looked over at Gaara. "This guy's chakra is all used up."

Naruto nodded slightly. "...That's good..." He murmured. Now that he knew his friends were safe, he put his head on the ground and passed out.

Sasuke stared at Gaara, frowning, before noticing Loor, who was getting closer.

"I'll take Naruto back." She volunteered. "You go back for Sakura."

Slowly, Sasuke nodded. "You sure you can carry him? You look like crap."

Loor was remembering the fact that she had at least twenty punctures in her body from Fury's sinbons. Still, she nodded slightly. "Yeah... I'll handle him. Get going, I'll meet you back at the village."

Sasuke did what he was told, though it was almost reluctantly. Once he left the area, Loor turned away from Naruto to Gaara, who was still awake. She knew he had been watching her, and she slowly came closer to him.

"Why...?" She questioned as she came closer, crouching down once she was close. "Gaara... maybe I was just fooling myself... but... I thought--"

"I'm a murderer, Loor..." Gaara gave, his head back on the ground, his blue eyes closing. He wouldn't pass out like Naruto, but he had to allow himself to rest a little and recover. "That is never going to change... no matter how hard you try to teach me..." He paused. "But... they made me into a monster again for a little while... made me depend on my hate..."

"Hate doesn't make you weak." Loor blurted.

"But it didn't beat him..." Gaara cracked his eyes open again, looking over at Naruto. "His friends... is that what makes him so strong?"

Loor glanced back at Naruto, and then Gaara again. Why was it that Naruto could teach Gaara with a fight what she'd been trying to tell him for a month and some? Why did he suddenly understand what she'd been trying to show him, that there was a better way than what he'd been doing?

"I guess I don't understand that quite yet..." Loor gave, sighing. "That's a lesson I myself haven't learned."

"Gaara!!"

Loor's head snapped up. That was Temari's voice. Kankuro's quickly echoed it. They were looking for their little brother, and they'd find him soon enough since they were already close. She quickly pushed herself to her feet, realizing something. Whatever happened here, Gaara was probably on the run now...

She glanced down at him again as she finally got it. Kankuro and Temari were going to get him and run, probably back to their own home... and she'd never see him again.

Temari suddenly dropped into the clearing, her brother not far behind her. When Temari saw Loor, she tensed, and then saw Loor's battered body and vacant expression. It led her to relax. Loor was shinobi material, but she was already spent. There would be no more fighting. "Sorry, Loor." Temari sighed. "I actually kinda liked you... but if you don't back away from my brother I'm going to have to kick your ass."

Loor nodded slightly with hollow eyes, looking down again at Gaara, who was looking up at her. His hand was twitching a little, an effort to move. Biting her lower lip, Loor looked back up at Temari. "Please... I just want a moment to say goodbye."

Kankuro, behind Temari, raised an eyebrow. "Eh?"

"I'm never going to see him again, am I? Nor any of you... I just want a few seconds to say goodbye."

Temari and Kankuro looked at each other before backing off. "Alright..." Temari nodded a little. "We'll be back in a few moments. Make it quick, Loor. We've got a lot of enemies prowling around."

"I'll protect him." Loor assured, leaning down again as the elder siblings left the area.

After a moment, Loor reached down and picked up the hand that was twitching, pulling it up to her lips and kissing his knuckles. She had no idea what to say without sounding all too girly or corny or perhaps just plain love struck. Gaara... she'd met him when she was completely closed off to the world, but he was the same way, so in their curiosity for each other they started sharing the skeletons in both closets. She'd come to trust him...

She'd come to love him, even if she'd never admit it to herself.

"I will see you again..." Gaara muttered, his eyes rolling back and closing again. He needed to rest. His hand relaxed in hers, but she still held it. "Even if it isn't you..."

"What are you talking about?" She asked slowly, leaning over him.

"You..." he sighed. "Taught me a lot... every time I drain Shukaku, every time I sleep... I'll dream of you."

She felt the tears in her eyes. She denied her want to cry, but the fact was that her eyes were brimming with tears-to-be. "Gaara... there's going to be someone else. The reason I taught you was so when you met someone else... you'd be human enough to be accepted."

"She's never going to be like you."

She blinked, and two tears fell down to Gaara's face. It caused him to open his blackened eyes, see her face, and frown at it. "Don't do that..." He gave quietly. "Don't cry."

"I... I can't help it Gaara..." She leaned down, lightly kissing his forehead. "Gaara..." She said his name again, pressing her lips to his forehead a second time. She closed her eyes, causing more drops of water to tumble down.

"Hm...?"

"I love you."

There was a long pause, and he managed to tilt his head up enough to signal her to look down at him, moving her down far enough for him to lift his head a fraction of an inch and meet her lips.

"I thought you said we were... too young for love?" He asked, gently.

She laughed, ruefully. "Too young to understand it... but as I'm told by a good friend of mine... you're never too young for love."

He nodded a little, letting his head relax back. She slowly let go of him, standing up and looking up to find that Temari and Kankuro had been standing there for God knows how long. Loor usually would have blushed and thrown a fit about being seen, but she walked up to the other two siblings. She pulled Temari into a tight hug, and gave Kankuro a quick hug and a punch in the shoulder. No words were passed, and Temari and Kankuro set to shouldering their little brother and taking off again.

The sand trio would go back to Suna... right after Gaara was well enough to travel well. In his current condition, he'd never survive the three day long trip to Suna through the sand storms and such. They'd have to get to one of the outpost towns and lay low till he'd recovered, and then get going.

Temari and Kankuro had both been thinking about this when Gaara's weak voice called them back to earth.

"Temari... Kankuro..."

Still moving, both elder siblings looked at their little brother.

"...I'm... sorry..."

He would have apologized to Loor too, but she was too far away. In fact, she was on the move too. Loor had quickly set to the task of picking Naruto up and returning to Konoha. She had to wonder what kind of hell the village was going through at the moment.

She was still trying to figure, but assumed she'd get the full story some other time... Right now, she had the honors of carrying the hero of the day back to the village and probably a hospital.

She kept looking back though... and had to wonder if Gaara could actually move if he'd be looking back too.

Returning to Konoha, things had actually calmed down a fair bit. The village itself had seen better days, but the invading forces had retreated thanks to all the strong shinobi in the village defending it.

Still, it would seem this victory came at a steep price, as did the attack itself. Loor was directed, with Naruto, to an evacuation bunker that was near the hospital. Medical persons would be there to tend to both of them. When she got there, she was informed on what exactly had happened. The invasion was from Suna, whom Konoha had been allied with, and Sound, whom Konoha was neutral with. Obviously the status would be at war till further notice, but Konoha wasn't going to go attacking the Sand and Sound villages without good reason.

Loor could put together the other pieces. This had been Sand's plan all along... Gaara's plan all along... that's why he was warning her about the Chunnin exams, telling her to run.

But he had said it was orders... had his village told him to do it? Or was Sand allied with Sound, and it was all Orochimaru's diabolical plan?

Loor was confused. There were still pieces missing, and after getting treatment and watching over Naruto getting treatment, and setting up in a corner of the underground bunker, she had no energy left to worry. She had no energy at all.

She sat next to Naruto's slumped over form, leaned her head back on the wall, and fell asleep.


	3. Lost

Two of six...

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Three- Lost**

By the time Loor had been moved to a hospital and reunited with Fury, she had heard the whole story of the invasion several times over. It had come in bits and pieces, but eventually the ugly bag of snakes had been laid out straight.

First off, the whole invasion was Sound's plan. The way Sand had been pulled into it was that they were looking to restore some glory from the last war they were in; since they lost the last war they were in. On the other hand, there was another way Sand had been pulled in, and it had nothing to do with glory.

Put simply... the leader of the Sound village, Orochimaru, had murdered the Kazekage. The body had only recently been found, but it was a month old, so Orochimaru had been impersonating the Kazekage for at least that long. By impersonating the old man, it was probably easy to make missions and such and set up the whole invasion in full control of both villages and their forces.

That was a bit of a shock for Loor. The Kazekage was Gaara's father... and even if the man had been trying to kill Gaara for about six years, it was interesting that he was now gone.

Of course, the whole plan had unfolded in front of everyone's eyes. Gaara was the spearhead, meant to enter with his siblings in the chunnin exams and then let Shukaku go in the middle of the finals to set the village to ruin from the inside. Of course, the Hokage was going to react when everything went to shit, but that was already planned out too.

Loor had reacted with a great deal of shock when she heard it... the Hokage, Sarutobi, had been killed in combat with Orochimaru. He didn't go down without a fight. No, the Hokage was the most powerful Shinobi in the village, and he went tooth and nail, and before his death took something very important from Orochimaru.

As the story was told, the Hokage had a jutsu that she didn't remember the name of. Basically, the Hokage held Orochimaru still while something else, a summon of types, pulled out Orochimaru's soul. Still, this is when Orochimaru took advantage and shoved a sword through the Hokage. Sarutobi knew he was dying, but was determined to end Orochimaru's ambition- immortality and taking over the world.

As the end of the fight was approaching fast for Sarutobi, the thing pulling out Orochimaru's soul took what it had so far and cut it away, releasing the rest to let the Oro-bastard feel the effects and allow Sarutobi a few seconds of rest before death. In the end, Sarutobi died, this is true. Also, in the end, Orochimaru lost all usage of his arms and hands. They were like dead growths on his body, and he was no longer capable of jutsu of any type. This is why Loor and Sasuke's curses faded; Orochimaru was no longer able to enforce the jutsu that created them. The people who had them could still use them, but they wouldn't be taking over any time soon.

Orochimaru was forced to flee, but the Hokage was dead before anyone could get to him to help him.

Heh... Orochimaru deserved what he got, after doing what he did to Loor's family.

As for the rest of the story... Loor already knew most of it. She still questioned what exactly turned Gaara back to insanity while she had been gone, but no one seemed to even know he'd been sane before hand. If she mentioned Gaara to any of the nurses they'd come back going 'That monster?' and shaking their head to express they knew nothing.

Originally, Loor blamed this reaction on her reputation with the nurses, since she was known for punching one or two if she no longer wanted to stay in the hospital, but after getting the same answer from a few of the newbies who didn't know who she was it was obvious that they didn't know.

And this brought Loor to where she stood now. Two days after the invasion, sitting on her hospital bed, looking out the window with her back to Fury, who was also in the room, lying on the other bed and sleeping. Outside, people had already begun to rebuild the village. Neighbors had come together to repair broken roofs, shopkeepers were fixing their doors and awnings, and others were all going to make Konoha look like itself again.

Loor sighed, moving slightly and feeling stiff. She'd be hurting for days for all the punctures she had running through her body and how hard she'd pushed herself. Along with that were bruises and cuts on every single part of her body that had bandages over the more severe ones. Her nose had been re-broken and set so when it healed it would look close to what it looked like before it was broken. She was going to have a little scar tissue, but Loor knew she was never a model, and she'd never wanted to be, so she had no problem with that. A little scar tissue actually sounded like a cool addition to her face. Unique.

Fury was in worse shape, really. In the fight between her and Loor, she'd suffered a broken arm, her left, and all the fingers on her right hand being broken besides her thumb. Aside from those two obvious injuries, she had three cracked ribs; the two bottom ones on the left and the bottom one on the right. The doctors had told Loor, since Fury only came around in short spells and her memory was questionable, that Fury would regain full use of her hand and arm as long as she rested properly and wore the sling with the cast, and her ribs would also heal fine as long as she didn't try moving too quickly.

Loor, being Fury's big sister, was turned to for consent for all of Fury's treatments. Fury had been in and out of surgery for resetting her broken arm, fixing her ribs to go back into the proper places, and the simple and non surgical procedure of resetting the bones in Fury's broken hand. Since Loor was consistent in being conscious she was her own consent. Odd, Loor was thirteen and Fury would be thirteen in a month, in November. The first odd part of that was that these girls were just old enough to being going through puberty and the people of the hospital treated them like adults. The second odd part of that was they were two months away from December and Konoha was still was warm and green as mid July.

Loor had to wonder what climate this place was... being from where she was, the ground was usually well on it's way to freezing and cloud cover that came and gone threatening to snow on them. Here... Loor saw the cloud cover outside, but it was looking more like rain than it was snow.

She sighed a little, getting up and limping over to the door of the room. The nurses had learned by now not to impede on her when she was going somewhere, so she didn't bother hitting her call button and asking someone if she could leave her room.

Walking, or better put, hobbling towards her destination, she started to think about how far her and Fury had come... from a couple of scared little kids two months ago... to almost shinobi material. They weren't running with the best of 'em just yet, but they were a great deal stronger than they were two months ago when they came to Konoha.

When Kakashi brought them here...

God, it felt so much longer than two months ago when Loor had first seen Orochimaru... but she still remembered like it was yesterday. She would remember till the day she died, because it would take nothing short of death to make her stop hunting him.

And why should she stop? He murdered her family right in front of her eyes. He would have killed her, but Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma had saved her and Fury, and then those three had brought them here for training so if Orochimaru came back to finish the job they'd be strong enough to at least escape.

A month after that training had begun, where Fury was training with Kurenai's team and Loor stuck with Gai sensei, Kakashi returned from a mission he had left on shortly after the girls had arrived. Meeting him and his team of Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, was interesting enough. They learned their first jutsu from those three, and how to walk up trees and walls, and use chakra to run faster and jump almost impossible heights. All of this was like magic to the two girls, but they'd taken to it quite well.

But Loor had been too confident when the chunnin exams came around. She had wanted to sneak in, and even if she had resolved not to, someone had brought her into the Forest of Death after knocking her out when she was on her way home; Lee's apartment. Who that someone was, she had no idea, but she had met again with Orochimaru when she was in there. Speaking of Orochimaru, he had changed his tune about wanting to kill her.

Instead... he bit her, giving her the curse mark Heaven, and leaving her in the forest.

Loor recovered from that thanks to Fury having noticed Loor was missing and telling Kakashi, who went looking for her and quickly found her. Training continued, but it was doubted either girl could go through this without meeting a boy or two. Fury herself trained with Kiba almost every day, and the two were now clearly involved with each other. Loor, on the other hand, had met two boys. Gaara had first become curious about her when he threatened her with death and she practically raised an eyebrow at him and said 'is that all ya got?' Lee, whom she trained with, admired her undying determination and refusal to fail in anything. Lee was the first to kiss her, but Gaara was the first one she did the kissing to. Lee understood whom she chose, but they were still friends, which had brought Loor to where she was now standing...

Outside Lee's hospital room. He'd been in the hospital since the first part of the Chunnin exams... and Loor had made a point of visiting him almost every day. In her usual manner, she didn't bother knocking and just let herself in.

When she entered, she found the room to be empty. The bed was unmade, which was odd for Lee, even if one of his hands didn't work very well. Loor then noticed his crutches were gone too, and quickly checked the bathroom that was connected to the room.

The bathroom was open and empty, he wasn't in there.

Loor was getting really confused now, limping around the whole room, going from confusion to worry. Where was he? "Lee?" She called gently, as if he were there.

She had resigned herself to leave and go looking somewhere else, moving towards the door when it suddenly came open.

Coming through were three nurses and a female doctor, carrying the person Loor was looking for, and Gai sensei trailing behind them.

"Lee!" Loor yelped, backing out of the way as the nurses and the doctor went to put the boy on his bed.

"Get her out of here." The doctor commanded, sounding cold. Loor recognized this person; it was one of the people she had punched during her recovery after the first part of the chunnin exams. She'd been in the hospital with a couple of broken ribs from fighting Orochimaru. A week into recovery she decided to try walking out of the hospital and punched everyone who got in her way. This doctor was one of them, and the person that gave her treatment for that first hospital stay.

Gai sensei glanced at Loor, who was making a point of staying out of the way. "I do not see what the problem is, she is one of my students and one of Lee's friends."

"She's violent." The doctor gave back curtly, helping the rest of her group to straighten out the blankets over Lee, who looked like he'd recently taken a romp through the woods.

On the other hand, Lee was also awake.

"Please... let her stay..." Lee said, looking at the doctor who was dishing out orders. "She is... very important to me."

The doctor blinked a couple of times, looking at Lee, but sighed slightly, nodding. "Fine... Someone get this kid something to eat, he's been out there for a while."

"What happened?" Loor asked, confused, coming closer to the bed as the three nurses left and the doctor, who's name tag read 'Dr. Sumeyo', stood by Lee's bed to look down at her patient.

"I..." Dr. Sumeyo sighed slightly. "You'd be better off asking him, I don't really know."

Loor came to the side of Lee's bed to sit by him, looking down. "Lee... what happened?"

Up close, it was made obvious he hadn't had anything to eat or drink in the last two days. He looked shriveled up, withered, and tired. Still, he made the effort to answer her. "I am not quiet sure, Loor..." He closed his dark brown eyes, leaning his head back on the pillow. "The night before the finals, I went to sleep... and woke up all by myself in the forest by the village limit wall."

"Sounds like what happened to me." Loor sighed. "Night before the finals, I passed out training... and woke up like you did, by the village limit all by myself."

Lee nodded a little. "What..." He swallowed. "What happened?"

Loor quickly launched into an explanation based off of what she had heard, and since the good doctor wasn't correcting her she assumed it was a correct account of the story. As she spoke the nurses had come back with food for Lee. It wasn't a feast, but they couldn't give him too much at once. Same with the drink, they only gave him a medium cup of water so his body could get used to it bit by bit. They'd keep feeding him every hour all through the day and then put him back on regular meals.

By the time Loor had finished the story, Lee was sitting up and looking like he was feeling a bit better. The doctor had left, leaving Loor and Lee alone with Gai sensei still in the room. Loor had almost forgotten about him, since Lee's sensei had stayed quiet through the whole story.

"Loor..." Gai sensei was walking up, pulling up a chair to sit in. "What exactly happened to you?"

"Me?" Loor shook her head slightly, laughing a little. "Can you keep a secret Gai sensei? Cause I can't really tell you without telling you what I was up to that night."

Gai looked confused as thunder rolled outside. It hadn't started raining yet, but it was going to.

"All right... You can trust me." Gai eventually confirmed, nodding.

"Well, you know someone tee-peed the Chunnin Stadium... right?" Loor gave a small smile, remembering the prank that was her and Naruto's idea. "I organized that, but when we actually got started--"

"You did that?!" Gai seemed shocked. "Loor!"

Lee chuckled slightly. "It does sound like her, sensei. Her and Naruto have pulled many pranks on this village."

"She has?" Gai gave, looking at Lee, then Loor, then Lee again.

Lee nodded. "Yes, but she never gets caught for some reason."

"It's cause I'm clever." Loor snickered. "Anyway, there were like seventeen people there helping out, TenTen included. Not Neji though... I haven't spoken to him in a while. Oh yeah, and two of the sensei, though I'll never tell who."

Gai's mouth had dropped open a little, but he then pulled it back into a smile. "Clever she is. Just like a ninja needs to be. You'll have your headband yet, Loor."

"Thank you sensei." Loor smirked. "Well, when that prank got started... I just didn't have the energy for it, so I left to go train. Gaara noticed me leaving and followed me, and he helped me out with my jutsu that night... problem was I passed out eventually from chakra exhaustion. When I woke up the next morning, I was out by the wall... and the invasion had already started."

"Who do you think brought you out there?" Lee asked.

"Well... at first, I assumed it had something to do with the man who killed my family... but it could have been Gaara too. He had been trying to get me to run for a while, insisting that if I went to the chunnins that I was going to die. He could have put me out there too, trying to keep me safe."

Gai nodded slightly, and then got up. "Well, I am going to leave you two alone. The Hokage's funeral is starting soon... Loor, you should stay in. It's going to rain and you're still recovering. Same with you Lee."

Loor raised an eyebrow, opening her mouth to argue, but Lee put his hand on hers to catch her attention and give her a meaningful look. Sighing, she nodded and settled back to where she sat on Lee's bed.

Gai left the room, and Loor looked out the window.

"So... Sarutobi is dead." Lee said. He had heard Loor's story, but he was more saying it to himself than he was saying it to her.

"Yeah... and... well, the sand siblings have all left... I doubt they're ever coming back."

"You miss him, do you not?"

Loor lowered her head a bit. Yes, of course she missed him. She hadn't seen Gaara in two days and it was sinking in more and more that she would never see him again. "I just wish I had longer to say goodbye... that's all."

"Loor..." Lee's hand squeezed hers lightly, making her look at him.

"All it took was one fight, Lee... one fight between him and Naruto to teach him everything I wanted to show him, things I wanted him to know that I didn't know how to present to him. It took him going through defeat to understand that his way wasn't right." She lowered her head... "Maybe I just wanted to say I was sorry... several times."

He nodded a little, frowning. He had no idea what to say to her. Loor hated to be bested, and now she had been bested in one of her greatest abilities; teaching and helping people.

"I can't believe I said what I did..." She muttered. "Me, of all people... at least I finally told him... I figured it out a few days before the finals..."

"What?" Lee asked. "If it is not to bold of me, that is."

"It... it isn't." She shook her head, looking into Lee's dark brown eyes with her electric blues. "I finally told him... that I love him."

Lee stared at her for a few moments, and then shook his head. He could see it now. "You say that, and then he has to leave... I do not know what would have been more painful, letting him go without telling him, or telling him knowing you will never see him again."

"I'm glad I told him." Loor frowned at herself. "I just wish I could have done it in a way that was less unfair to him. Love... it's what he's been looking for, what he wants, and I could have given it to him... but I kept denying my own emotions when he was ready to learn more... and now he's gone for good."

Lee sighed a little, leaning over to her to give her a gentle and comforting hug. She returned it, deciding to stay with him for a while and talk about other things that were less depressing.

She had to put the past behind her, just like everything else... she'd lost everyone else who meant anything to her besides Fury. Why did she expect Gaara to be any different?

Why did she expect anyone to be any different? Aside from Fury... she had to stop letting people mean things to her. If she kept making friends and close friends all she would get in return would be more pain.


	4. Will Of Fire

Three of six...

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Four- Will of Fire**

Fury had been flitting in and out of being conscious since the fight with Loor... perhaps it was shock that they, as sisters, had nearly killed each other. Maybe it was that she had gotten her first broken bones ever in her life. Perhaps, her body was just having trouble putting up with all the different things going on at the same time. During her short periods of being awake Loor had tried to tell her things that had happened, but Fury didn't remember very much of it.

Coming around... Fury found herself in a hospital room. Her first thought was that she belonged in a hospital, the way she felt. Her second thought was a worry about Kiba and Hinata. She still remembered the crumpled and unconscious forms she'd left behind after waking up with that _thing_ on her shoulder, giving her that power craze, making her fight her sister almost to the death. Were they still out there? Was the invasion still going strong?

Fury's eyes swept around the room and spotted a figure near her window. Her sight was blurry, so she assumed it was Loor, watching over her.

"_Onee-san...?"_ Fury asked, her voice sounding like sand paper.

The figure rounded to show himself as being male. He came closer, and Fury's vision cleared enough for her to see who it really was, and also notice he was wearing all black.

"Kiba!" She gave as strong as she could, trying to lean up to grab him into a hug but feeling him reach down to gently press her back into her bed.

"Don't move." He advised, a relieved smile on his face seeing as she was awake. "You're in pretty bad shape... I heard about what happened to you... and what happened with Loor."

Fury nodded a little, and then glanced around. "Where's Akamaru?" She asked.

"Sitting behind your head."

Fury tilted her head back to find the puppy sitting on her pillow. Once she could see him, he leaned down and licked her forehead. She groaned, attempting to lift up one arm to wipe it off... and finding it wouldn't move, and trying hurt. She looked at her left arm and saw the cast... and then tried to lift her other arm. It moved, but it still hurt, and when she looked over she found all four fingers, not the thumb, wrapped up and splinted by a metal piece.

"What... the... hell...?" Fury asked slowly, looking at her broken hand and then looking down again at her broken arm.

Kiba leaned over, cleaning her forehead off for her. "The fight with Loor... you guys almost killed each other, or so Kakashi says."

"I remember... it just didn't hurt this bad..." Fury muttered. "And... I didn't think my arm was broken.. or my fingers... I had still been using them..."

"Adrenaline." Kiba offered. "Can't feel anything till after the fight."

She nodded a little... "Maybe... that fight was scary... I've been angry before, but what happened to me after that guy bit me..." The color drained from her face. Someone had bitten her and sent her on a strange power craze. Loor had been bitten and went on a strange power craze when she woke up, attacking Kakashi. "Oh my god... that ABUN!! He's an impostor! Orochimaru could still be in the village!!" Fury started to push herself to sit up, but pain went up from her ribs. Her pain threshold wasn't that great, so she flattened to her bed again very quickly. "Some... someone... needs to tell Kakashi..." She gave, glancing around.

"Fury, what are you talking about?" Kiba asked, confused.

"The ABUN that helped Hinata..." Fury stared at Kiba. "He... he knocked you out, and then he pinned me to a wall and bit my shoulder... where all the pain was coming from during the fight..."

"Where the curse mark is." Kiba concluded. "Just like Loor... but yours looks different."

"I heard Sasuke broke his seal like Loor did for the fight... " Fury sighed, frustrated with her spotty memory of Loor's account. "So now there's three of us. Kinda bad way to be alike with someone else."

"Ya think?" He shook his head, reaching up to pet Akamaru and lean over Fury. "I was really worried about you... nurses wouldn't let me in here yesterday."

"I'm sorry..." She muttered, biting her lower lip. "Not like I meant to get beat up like this."

"I know..." He gently kissed her on the forehead, not daring to hug her for fear of damaging something. "Listen... I don't know how much you've heard, but... the Hokage's dead."

Fury felt her face going blank. If she had gotten any color back, it was gone. "D-d-dead...?"

"Yeah." Kiba nodded a little. "This Sound nin... Orochimaru, killed him."

She felt a chill run through her body. Kiba knew the story of what had happened to Loor's family, but Fury had never told Kiba the name of the ninja responsible. Now Orochimaru had reared his snake-like head again... "Oh my God..." Was all Fury could say.

Kiba nodded sadly, a frown replacing his usually exuberant grin. Even Akamaru whined, nuzzling Fury's neck as if it would help make her and himself feel better. "His funeral is today..." Kiba went on, sighing. "I talked to the nurses. They said someone could move you as long as you were in a wheel chair. I thought you might have wanted to come with me."

Fury glanced at him, looking at his all black outfitting and understanding. More likely than not, the whole village was wearing black today, morning the loss of a great leader. Slowly, she nodded in agreement. "But I don't have any black clothes..."

"I'm sure I can find something at the house." He gave, getting up and holding up a finger as if to say 'One second' going to the door and speaking to someone outside. When he came back, two nurses came with him, one with a wheel chair. The three of them carefully picked Fury up and got her into the chair, adding a sling to the cast on her arm and a back brace so she wouldn't slouch and strain her healing ribs.

Kiba started wheeling her out, and Fury relaxed her head back to smile at him through her pain.

* * *

The whole village had turned out for the funeral. Sakura, even after nearly being crushed, was on her feet to mourn for the Hokage. Sasuke, also beaten and near dead, had come out for this. Naruto, the hero of the day, with gauze patches on his face and wraps on various places of his body like a mummy, did his best to stand the tallest of his team, even if he was the shortest. Fury sat there, getting pushed by Kiba, picking out everyone she knew.

There was TenTen with Neji, dressed in black and holding white carnations like everyone else, flowers that everyone would go up and place upon the fallen Kage's coffin. Fury herself had been given one, wearing a loose fitting black robe that Hana and Kiba had managed to get on her. Gai stood behind his team, face down cast from his usual happy disposition.

Her eyes meandered over to Ino, Choji, and Shikamaru, for once not fighting and speaking quietly of their memories of the old man. Asuma stood with Kurenai, leaning a little on each other as Kiba joined Shino and Hinata in this sea of black.

Fury lifted her head to see Konohamaru, crying. The small boy, the Hokage's grandson, had to be hit the hardest by this. Fury didn't even know if his parents were around. What if the Hokage had actually been more of a dad to him? What if Kony, as Loor called him, was now alone in this world like so many of the other shinobi she'd met?

Fury watched as a man beside Kony knelt down, comforting him. Fury didn't know this guy, but he had his dark brown hair up in a high pony, and when he turned to face Konohamaru she could see he had a scar across his nose.

"Who is that...?" Fury whispered to Kiba, not daring to raise her voice any higher. Besides the sounds of sobbing and low whispers, the scene was silent. This funeral was held in front of the Hokage's residence, within the wall that went around it, the Hokage's coffin in front of the door leading in, a picture of Sarutobi on it with the hat he always wore as part of his traditional robes.

Kiba glanced up to see the man talking to Konohamaru, and leaned down to talk to Fury, Akamaru slipping out of where he had been tucked into the front of Kiba's shirt and into Fury's lap. "That's Iruka. He's an academy teacher... but he tends to foster his students sometimes."

Fury nodded a little. She could see that. You would think this death of their leader would rip the village apart, but just seeing the picture of Iruka stooping down to comfort Konohamaru, Fury felt they had been more bound together than ripped apart. It was like the village itself had a will to survive, and with or without a leader, it would.

The funeral started and silence took over, aside from people crying. Someone Fury didn't know stood by the Hokage's grave and spoke of Sarutobi's bravery, power, and how the village should mirror that. That even with his body destroyed, Sarutobi's will would live on through the village. A new leader would come into power, but Sarutobi's deeds would never be forgotten, for without him the Leaf would have most certainly been put to ruin.

"... and he shall forever live on, watching over us, like he always has." Was how the man finished, sinking back behind the coffin with several other older people that were advisors to the Hokage. They watched as one by one, people came up, stood over the Hokage's casket to pay respects, put their flower down on the coffin, and return to their spot.

Fury was sure everyone who went up was remembering how they knew Sarutobi. How he would come down from this palace of a place to be with and mingle with all of those living in the village, how he was friendly, and always happy to see someone smile like some really cool grandpa.

Kiba wheeled Fury up when it was their turn. Kiba helped her place her flower since she couldn't, and she looked between the hat and Sarutobi's picture. _I didn't know you for very long, Sarutobi-sama..._ She thought to herself._ But you cared for this village... Funny that the one time I saw you I had thrown a rag into your face. The way you acted... makes me wish I'd known you better. You were probably a great leader from what I've heard... And now you're gone._

Kiba put his flower down, stared at the casket for a moment, and gave a said nod, wheeling her back to their place.

The carnations piled up as all of those in the village went and placed them. Fury could feel it, all the sadness, all the pain tied onto Sarutobi's death. She lowered her head as it really got to her... and cried.

Thunder rolled again, but Fury had no thoughts to flinch, and hardly took notice as it started to rain. No one did, continuing with the ceremony till every last villager there had paid their respects.

By the time Kiba started wheeling her back to the hospital, they were both very wet and very cold. At once the nurses scolded him about how a patient in Fury's condition couldn't be put through that kind of treatment. They'd probably have to change out her cast and all other dressings to avoid infection. While a nurse took Fury's chair and wheeled her away, and Kiba was forced to stay at the door for a lecture from Dr. Sumeyo, Fury thought back upon her own past...

When she was young, she'd gone to a funeral. It was ages ago, but she remembered. She remembered... fearing what it was like to be dead. It was when she first realized what death was. Oh, she already had known and understood it, but at that moment in her life, watching the casket getting lowered into the ground, she came to truly fear what was on the other side.

She cried in mourning, this is true... but she also cried as she was reminded of her main fear.

Her fear of death.

Her death, whenever it came for her. She didn't want it to come for her, but felt as if her clock was smaller than everyone else's. Her premature birth, her weak immunes, her looming fear of cancer since everyone else in her family had gotten it... they all made her feel like her time was getting shorter by the breath. What was she taking in now? What alien molecule that just went into her nose was going to make her life hell this week? What if the wounds did get infected?

Her mind started going crazy. She felt it. Fear.

She started screaming, not yet half way down the hall, still in range to hear the lecture Dr. Sumeyo was giving Kiba. She brought herself off of her chair, despite how much it hurt, and started bellowing and crying. "I'm going to die!" She was panicking. "I'm going to die!!" Akamaru, who had still been on her lap, jumped off and started barking.

She was having a panic attack. Kiba ran up, past the doctor, to push the nurses out of the way that were trying to restrain Fury and keep her from making her injuries worse. Kiba quickly lifted her back to her feet, as she had fallen and scooted into the wall, looking for a corner to curl up in.

"Fury!" He yelped, holding her straight and close. "Calm down... C'mon, you're not dying... I'm here for ya."

She was struggling in his grip, panting, spitting a little bit. "No! I've always been..." She wheezed, coughing and leaning her head over his shoulder, closing her eyes tightly. "I-I-- I don't-- Wanna die!!" She gave between coughs, her ribs suffering for the sharp heaving of her stomach and chest.

"Shh..." Kiba glanced around, trying to pull her back to her chair. "Take it easy Fury... You won't... just calm down."

She sniffed, whimpering as he finally got her to the wheel chair, still shaking her head back and forth, muttering to herself ; "I don't wanna die." Over and over again.

Once again, Dr. Sumeyo separated them, wheeling Fury away first to get her cast and other dressings re-done, and then for psychiatric help if her elder sister consented to it, seeing as Fury was obviously not mentally stable enough to make choices for herself.

* * *

"No."

Generally, Dr. Sumeyo would have avoided Loor at all costs. The girl was violent, ungrateful, and got into trouble just a little too often for her to like. Still, obtaining consent for another patient, namely Fury, Loor was the only one the good Doctor could go to.

"Why not?" The doctor batted back, raising one black eyebrow. Dr. Sumeyo was a very clean person. She had slightly darker skin, just a few shades under tan, black hair that was always pulled back into a perfect pony, and held her professional air at all times.

"Because I know she doesn't need a psychiatrist." Loor gave, leaning forward on her bed a little bit. The girl looked a little off the top of her game at the moment, seeing as she still had the sticks on her nose to keep it in place while the bone healed, and she still had gauze wrapping everywhere thanks to a grand total of forty-two punctures in her skin. "And she wouldn't want one anyway. She doesn't need someone sitting with her with a clip board asking her useless questions."

"She had a panic attack."

"Shit happens." Loor growled. "I've had panic attacks before, and look where I am. I don't need any help with my mind, and nor does she."

Sumeyo was losing patience. "I would say that you could use a little help yourself, but I'm getting consent for Fury, not you." The doctor leaned a bit forward on the chair she was sitting on by Loor's hospital bed. Fury was getting her bandages fixed at the moment. "And those questions are not useless. The point it to figure out the root of what caused her panic attack and reassure her that there is nothing to fear."

"I can already tell you the root of the problem." Loor snorted. "She fears death because she was sickly when she was born, and she gets sick easily to this day, and everyone in her family has had cancer of the ovaries. The trigger of her panic attack was the funeral, since she first realized her fear of death when she was at a funeral when she was a kid." Loor then got up, to glower down at the doctor. "You can't fix her. All she needs is some time to calm down."

The elder of the two also got up to maintain intimidation, taller than the thirteen-year-old youth by a fair bit. "She needs help, and so do you."

"I'm all the help she needs!" Loor snapped, feeling an aggressive urge. "I'm always trying to be there for her, I'm always wanting to comfort her, and I know her better than her own damn mother does!! Don't you dare tell me what she needs!"

Sumeyo flinched, backing up a step. She'd been hit by Loor before, she probably had a dent in her jaw to prove it. Still, she noted her error and stood with a strong posture. "Very well... speak to me when you decide to seek help... It'll be your fault when the problem gets worse."

Loor fumed as the doctor left the room, falling back on her bed and panting a little.

Her eyes lifted a little to look out the window, snorting at the patter of rain outside and causing a little blood to expel out of her healing nose.


	5. Painful Tears

Four of six...

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Five- Painful Tears**

It had been two days.

Fury, as Loor said, had not seen anyone about her panic attack. Fury was okay with that, she didn't really want to see anyone. Like Loor had said, she'd gotten over it within an hour, but Kiba still stayed by her side as much as he could to make sure she was okay. Two days into recovery Fury was still wearing her casts, still waiting for things to mend. As she heard it she'd be able to take off the splint for her fingers in a week or two, but her arm would need another six weeks and some. Kiba became a second set of hands for her. He did everything the nurses usually did for a patient with a disability. He helped her eat, helped her dress, and stuck by her bed to talk to her and make her smile. Akamaru was with him too, always helping out.

Loor, on the other hand, was already gone from the hospital. Because Sumeyo didn't like her they went straight to what they did last time- Shinobi treatments. They used medical jutsu to speed the healing of her nose, gave her a few rolls of gauze and directions for dressing healing cuts, and sent her on her merry way.

With Loor already out of the hospital, Kiba was able to spend the night without getting too much hell. The first night Loor had still been there, and was spitting at him the whole time like a drenched cat. Still, now, on the second day, he was content to sit by Fury's bed, helping her eat again, and tell her of some of the news from home.

"So you remember the littler of pups we helped with?" Kiba asked, handling the pair of chopsticks to feed her, holding up a little cube of pre-cut meat. Akamaru was sitting on Fury's stomach, waiting expectantly for the leftovers.

Fury nodded while quickly leaning her head forward to take it, chewing and swallowing. "What about them?" She asked, cocking her head a little to one side.

"Well... there was a problem with one of them." He sighed, shaking his head. "I stopped by home yesterday when Loor made me leave, and all three of them are growing up real nice but..."

"But what?" Fury questioned, worried.

"The female's ears stick up." Kiba gave. "It makes her a dud. These pups are pure bred, and if there's a difference in a pup from the general image of the breed then it's no good for show, sellin', or breedin'."

"That's not fair..." Fury gave, pouting a little, looking down at Akamaru as Kiba gave her another bit to chew on, which she did. "I mean..." She gave after swallowing. "What if Akamaru here had stuck up ears? He'd still be a great dog and companion."

"Yeah..." Kiba nodded a little. "But the breed is rare, and people want picture perfects for breeding new ones... and no one wants to buy one that looks like a mutt."

"That's sad..." Fury sighed, shaking her head. "The water please." She requested on the side, Kiba obliging and picking up the cup for her. She sipped at it and then nodded a little for him to put it back down. "I mean, I'd love to have a dog, even if it looked just like the breed or not. Just as long as it was friendly, playful, and all the other things dogs usually are..."

"I know..." Kiba nodded a little. "It's going to be tough finding a home for her, cause mom doesn't want to have any more huge dogs like that in the house..." He then glanced at her, getting another bit off the plate for her. Fury shook her head, showing she'd had enough, and Kiba moved the plate for Akamaru to have at.

"I'd take her..." Fury muttered. "But I don't think it would go over well when I got back home."

"Why not?" He asked.

"House full of cats, buddy boy." She replied, leaning her head back on her pillow. "Not to mention my parents... parent, thinks that I'm not responsible enough to handle a dog."

"But Akamaru's breed is really smart. They _help_ you take care of them." He reached down to pet Akamaru on the head. "They'll stick with you where ever you go, make great guard dogs--"

"It would never work where I'm from..." She sighed pessimistically. "I couldn't have a dog with me all the time, Mom would never be able to deal with a puppy, and Dad... well, he's not really my dad, but mom's boyfriend would complain about it all the time."

"Geez... No offense Fury but your parents sound like a couple of whiny bitches." He kept scratching Akamaru. "I mean... what kind of village do you and Loor come from?"

Fury opened her mouth to answer that question, and then closed it again, clicking her teeth. Both Akamaru and Kiba looked at her, sensing something was wrong.

Fury considered it... Kiba almost had a right to know now, where her and Loor really were from. But she had to wonder... would Kiba assume she was delirious? Or think that she was toying with him? Would he believe her? Or feel betrayed?

She bit her lower lip... and made eye contact with Kiba before opening her mouth.

"I... think there's a story I should tell you, Kiba." She took a deep breath. "That thing about that man who killed Loor's family... there's more to it than I told you the first time."

She prayed he wouldn't think she was insane.

* * *

Loor was out and about. The sun was setting, and she was thinking about a nice evening walk and how much that would relax her. Goodness knows she had been pretty wound up since the finals. She tromped on the streets instead of just walking, as if stamping her feet into the stones would make her calm down. Quite the contrary in fact though, it made her angrier as her feet got sore.

She snorted. The finals... a mere three days ago...

They were supposed to be out of here on that day. The day of the finals they were supposed to watch the fights, say their good-byes, and get going. No more training, no more involvement with boys, nothing! She thought about seeking out Kakashi and talking to him about it, but she had no idea where he was. So, instead, she was storming through the village towards the woods. She wanted to go to the river clearing...

She sighed as her mind migrated from the issue with leaving to the issue with Gaara. Those woods is where they met up all the time in the middle of the night... from the first time he tracked her down and figured out he didn't want to kill her to their first kiss by the river out there, it seemed all the best moments between them were out in those woods... and the worst. The river clearing also bore Loor's first meeting with Shukaku, face to face.

It had been tense, about a month in to Loor knowing Gaara, when the full moon had come around. Loor had made the bone headed move to confront Shukaku over the river that rushed through the clearing, but only because she knew something he didn't. There was a lip under the surface where the river got suddenly deeper and the current stronger. After calling a Shukaku a coward and making him let her live another month to prove that he wasn't, she shook 'paws' with him and swept his other front leg out from under him and into the stronger current.

In that same clearing was where Loor and Gaara discovered that Shukaku could be drained to the point where his remaining energy was used to keep himself alive, leaving Gaara alone till he was recovered... and because of that Gaara passed out and slept for a damned week. Shukaku, with a little of his remaining energy, used Gaara's dormant body to tell Loor he was actually getting to like her because of the more 'demonic' qualities she'd been displaying.

Loor had been fairly disgusted.

So she bushwhacked towards the site of so many memories, her feet knowing the way. She assumed it would be the way it always was- calm, empty, and perfect for her to ease off her angry thoughts and calm down.

At the moment... this was not true.

Loor's first clue that her usual refuge was already occupied was the voices she heard as she approached. It was another twinge of anger, as if her night just had to be disturbed in another way, but it went to curiosity. Who else knew of this place? Knew where to find it?

She heard the low male voice ahead, and felt some sort of impossible hope flow through her. _Gaara??_

She should have known better.

Her feet brought her close enough to see but not be seen when she was proven to be wrong. Two people stood in the clearing, neither the male she was lonely for. One was someone who wasn't supposed to be there, and the other was someone Loor had minimal contact with...

Temari, Gaara's elder sister, stood facing the ever so lazy Shikamaru with a sad expression on her face. Shikamaru's back was to Loor, so she didn't know what his face was composed in. Her first twitch was to run out there, grab Temari, and demand to know if Gaara was nearby. Still, she held still, bent into the undergrowth, and vanished into it while listening closely. Loor was a woodland creature; she knew how to creep without sound and hide effectively.

"I thought you guys had to run... someone is liable to kill you three if they see you." Shikamaru's voice sighed. Loor then noted that she must have walked in on the beginning this meeting, shortly after the greetings.

"It's just me here. Kankuro is watching over Gaara... he's not in good shape. Big old hole in the upper left side of his chest... not to mention burns from the Chidori. Shukaku's partial transformation at the time protected him for the most part... but it's going to be a bit before we can get going for home."

"Yuk... how troublesome..."

"Tell me about it. The worst of it is that we can't bring him to a hospital. As long as we're in the fire country we have to lay low."

"How far off are you?"

"Shikamaru, you know I can't-- "

"Right... should have thought about that. Someone could have found out about our meeting and sent someone after us to listen and find out where you three went. I understand."

Loor winced. Did he know she was here?

"Well... I just really came back to say good-bye, seeing as I didn't get the chance before... and I guess I wanted to say good job for making Chunnin."

Oh yeah, Shikamaru, even though he'd forfeited his victory in his and Temari's match, was promoted to being a chunnin level ninja for his strategy in the fight.

"Even though I let you win?" There was a sly tone in his voice.

"Let me win?" She became slightly defensive. "What are you talkin' about? I would have found some way out of that!"

"Heh... girls..." He sighed. "Troublesome... but you're kinda entertaining."

"Whatever, Shika-Kun." She paused, and Loor could sense that she probably went to hug him. "I'd better go before someone comes out here... this is Loor's favorite place to hang out."

"At night?"

"I'm pretty sure she never sleeps."

"Good point... listen, if you can come back in a day or two I might be able to... I donno... hunt up a book on how to pack and dress wounds the old fashioned way... if you wanted me to... if I have to... it might help Gaara."

"I'll try. Two days, same time, same place..." She paused. "I'll see you. And listen... if you see Loor... tell her that Gaara says he's sorry... if she's feeling any pain."

Loor bit her tongue on making herself known. Gaara... was sorry? Said sorry? Since when?? If she was feeling pain? ... is that what you called what she was feeling? Lonely? Wanting? Wishing she could go out for training in the middle of the night and he'd just show up like he'd used to, even if he was hunting her again?

Pain it was...

"I will." Shikamaru muttered, the last words heard of the conversation. He and Temari would be saying their good-byes... and Loor turned to go back to the hospital.

She might as well go and see Lee... he generally made her feel better when she wanted to kill herself for being a bloody bitch.

* * *

"And... we've been here for the past two months. I'm not sure how Kakashi got us here or how he plans on getting us back, but... yeah..."

Fury had told Kiba everything. Every detail her brain could come up with, everything she had avoided admitting to him; everything.

And Kiba sat there, staring at her. He heard how it was Orochimaru, the same man who killed Sarutobi, who killed Loor's family, and how Loor formed her vendetta against him. He listened to the how the Konoha shinobi arrived on the scene at Loor's home just in time for rescue.

He heard how they were not of this world. They didn't live in a village, they lived in a town called Kingston. They didn't have particular lands like this world had the land of Fire, land of Wind, and land of Waves, but states and countries like Minnesota, Iowa, and New York all in the United States of America. Fury said that she didn't really know of any villages, that it was all towns, cities, and very modern.

The most mind-boggling thing that she said about her own home was that there were no real Shinobi. Perhaps in a country called Japan there were a few left, and in the past there had been more, but they just didn't exist the way they did here. No one used jutsu, chakra was unheard of, and something like transformation or substitution would be considered huge magic or just smoke and mirrors. Instead wars were fought with machines and guns and such.

Kiba knew what a gun was. The mechanical era had tried to start around here, but failed. Why purchase and pay people to handle firearms when they were more deadly on their own? Why employ people to make guns, spend money on materials, when it was cheaper and more effective to train generation after generation to be Shinobi? Sure, machines were used for building projects like walls and bridges and so on, but the most effective weapons in war are the shinobi of the village.

And so Kiba sat and stared at Fury as she finished her story, his jaw just a little slacked. Akamaru had long cleared his plate and stared up at Fury with almost the same expression on his fuzzy face.

"Seriously?" Was what Kiba finally said as she started to squirm under his gaze.

"That's everything..." She nodded. "True as it happened."

He sat there for a few more seconds, and stood up quickly, shaking his head.

"It's a lot... it must have taken you a long time to think it all up."

"Wha--?" Fury felt herself going red. "Kiba, what are you saying? I'm telling you that's what happened."

"Yeah..." He snorted. "You know, if you didn't like me enough to come back and visit now and then, or didn't want me to visit you once you left, you could have just said that and I would have let you be. You don't have to make up some amazing story to make me back off." He frowned at her, heading for the door. "C'mon Akamaru."

He stopped at the door and looked back.

Fury had a few tears sliding down her face, which he ignored, and Akamaru had moved up to sit on the girl's chest and look at his owner, whining.

"C'mon Akamaru!" Kiba repeated, a bit louder.

Akamaru stopped whining and showed his teeth, growling at his owner, rubbing up against Fury.

Kiba glared in return at his puppy, turned and left the room, not noticing Loor at the other end of the hall, who had passed by the door while Fury was telling the story. Kiba went to leave the hospital as Loor went deeper into it, heading for the stairs.

Loor had heard nothing of the story behind the door. She heard Fury talking, but her own brain buzzing drowned out anything else that tried to pass through her ears. Odd that she managed to keep everything there, in her brain, keeping herself from feeling what she had felt when Temari mentioned Gaara's apology.

She had been trying to refuse her emotions again, telling herself she shouldn't feel this way. She knew all along the thing between her and Gaara was going to end, and perhaps it had done it in a more explosive manner than she thought it would have, but she couldn't let it get to her.

So it was all crammed up in her mind; anger, loneliness, confusion, and a touch or two of fear of what was to happen next. It was all crushed together, like kids riding four to a seat on a bus, so she couldn't mentally sort it out without springing them all and allowing them to wreak havoc on her state.

She had forgotten going up the stairs and arriving at Lee's door, but she remembered the feeling of a small smile coming up on her face when she saw him.

Why was she smiling? She couldn't feel a reason to be, so she questioned it.

As she stood in that doorway, she felt numb.

"Loor." Lee greeted, sitting in his bed and relaxing, his evening meal aside and done with. He was eating normally now. "You are here awful late."

She nodded a little, walking forward and sitting on the end of his bed. She avoided his eyes, as if he would see how hollow she felt or notice all of her emotions trying to break free and be felt. "I... I didn't want to be alone." Was all she said.

Her skin took note of his hand on her shoulder, but she didn't till several seconds later, looking up at him and biting her lower lip.

"Is something wrong?" He asked as he caught her eyes for a second. It seems that they realized on their own, without the rest of the body knowing, that they had made contact with someone else and moved somewhere else to hide.

"Lee..." She shook her head, lowering it to look down at the bed sheets. "Why is it that when things go wrong... they all have to go wrong at the same time?"

"What do you mean Loor?"

"Fury and I need to go home, but we're still here thanks to the chaos at the chunnin finals... Gaara's gone and I'm probably never going to see him again... and... and... I just don't know. I'm lost, and I'm never lost. I'm realizing that when we do go back, Fury and I, my family is still going to be dead. Nothing is going to get better... in fact... things just might get worse. Orochimaru can't be far from Konoha, so I have him to look out for, and on top of everything Sarutobi is dead."

Lee stared at her as she managed to maintain an even voice through all of this, like she was narrating some life other than her own, as if it were just some story that she'd never have to experience.

Still, the next part warbled as the floodgates threatened to open.

"Even with someone next to me, it feels like I'm as alone as I can be... I haven't felt much since Gaara left... nothing real... nothing but anger, hate, and pain. I don't think I've laughed or smiled for real, and last night..." She bit her lower lip. "My mind wanted me to go outside to one of the clearings last night as if he'd just show up like he always did... but when I realized there was just no way that could happen, I wanted to cry but couldn't. There were tears, but I found myself unable of forcing them out of my body, and I wanted to cry so badly it hurt to breathe past the lump in my throat... but I couldn't... and I still can't."

She sniffed, but no tears had fell. She looked up at him, and allowed him to see her eyes. They were wide open, hollow, and yet somehow chaotic. Perhaps it was when Loor was finally hit with the realization that she'd never see her family again, that loneliness hitting at the exact same time her loneliness for Gaara had. The tears she couldn't cry, no matter how badly she wanted to, were a testament to just how much she'd been holding back.

Lee pulled her closer, till her head was resting on his chest, leaning back and letting her curl up onto his hospital bed. "He is gone... this is true Loor. But you can not let that stop you. You may feel bad and upset, but you can not let that stand in your way. Let yourself feel it, and let it drive you. As for your family... I am deeply sorry for what happened to you and to them, but their deaths can not be changed any more than Sarutobi's can be. We may grieve over the dead... but we must not let them hinder us. If the dead are to live on, we should carry their spirits, their hopes and dreams, on our shoulders. If your family wanted you to be strong and make your own path, do so, and know you make them proud."

She sniffed again, clinging to him, rubbing her head into his chest, once again trying to force her tears out. What did her family want of her? How would her mother wish her to carry on? How would her father want her to live? What would her brother and sister do?

She felt the tears now, and rubbed them into the blanket on the bed and Lee's robe, hugging him tighter as several sobs escaped her.

Lee lightly patted her back, bidding the next nurse to pass to shut out the light and letting her sleep against him.


	6. Curiosity

Five of six...

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Six- Curiosity**

Kiba had left to think. He didn't believe Fury; her story was just a little too fantastic. A whole 'nother world? Did she honestly think he was dumb enough to believe that? He would admit he wasn't the brightest bulb in the box, but come on!

He didn't want to go back to the apartment, seeing as they shared one. Going back there would probably make him feel guilty for walking out on her like that, but he was a little ticked... and felt betrayed. The only reason she'd lie like that is if she didn't like him as much as he liked her, and didn't want him sticking as close as he had been.

At once, he tried to figure out what he'd done wrong.

Was it that he was the only one who stuck close when she had that panic attack? Did she blame him for not protecting her when she got that curse mark?

Was she really lying? Maybe... maybe she really was mentally unstable, like the doctors said. Maybe she really did need help after that panic attack, and was making up stories like that while thinking they were real.

No, she didn't seem delusional while she was recounting her story.

And she was crying as he left...

He snorted, shaking his head and stuffing his hands in his pockets. Fury wasn't the lying type, that he knew. She was as honest as he was, and he had a damned good record if he said so himself. Loor was the tricky sister, but Fury... she was true, loyal, and sweet. Sure she had her moments where she was rough around the edges, and through training she was gaining ability to kick ass when she wanted to, but Kiba liked it when she was in her happy moods. Days that she'd cuddle up to him in the mornings, do her baby-talk thing to Akamaru, and just be overall cute were days he'd treasure.

Still... that story was quite a bit... and if it really was true, then going back and visiting Fury was a matter of a jutsu only Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai and the bastard Orochimaru knew how to do... and the man that was with Orochimaru when Loor's family was killed.

Getting that jutsu from one of the sensei would be a challenge... And Kiba doubted it could be too simple if it transverse worlds. Even if the signs were simple it probably used a fair amount of chakra.

He snorted, reminding himself that he didn't believe her just yet. He decided that night he'd go home and help his mother with the pups. His help was welcome, and once his mom had gone to bed for the night he set up in the family room to sleep with the dogs. The large male that was Akamaru's father was happy to let Kiba curl up with him, and Akamaru's bitch started whining over him, as if she could sense something was bothering him.

Even between two big fuzzy bodies, which was usually where Kiba was most comfortable when he had a nightmare or something as a little kid and his mother wasn't welcoming to a small child in her bed, he wasn't able to sleep till he resolved to talk to Kurenai in the morning. She was involved in the rescue... if she knew what the hell Kiba was talking about, Fury was telling the truth and he could stop worrying. If Kurenai was clueless, Kiba was going to be very pissed... and very sad.

He fell asleep wishing he had Akamaru with him... almost assured that Fury was telling the truth when the puppy had insisted on staying with her and not following him.

* * *

Loor woke up curled up in the same embrace with Lee that she'd fallen asleep in, stirring when Lee had woken up and prodded her slightly because he had to go to the bathroom. Yawning, she had moved to the foot of the bed and allowed him to go to the conjoined bathroom and do his thing. Her eyes were crusty and just a little red from crying herself to sleep, but after rubbing them for several moments she was okay, and Lee came back with a smile that she could return and actually _feel._ She didn't have the numb thing going on, actually happy to be there with him.

"Do you feel better?" He asked, putting his crutches aside, which he had used to hobble to the bathroom, and sitting back on his bed.

She nodded a bit, reaching over and hugging him. "A great deal... though I think I left a damp spot on your robe."

He shrugged it off, patting her back. "I do not mind... Though I think the doctor might if she comes in and finds you spent the night."

Loor rolled her eyes. Dr. Sumeyo was a bit of a rules person. "I'd expect as much..." She pushed herself to her feet. "Oh well. I might as well go and visit Naruto and see how he's doing. I heard he's already back home, but I'm worried about him."

"What about Fury? I am surprised you are not fussing over her more than you are me."

Loor rolled her eyes ruefully. "Scruffy is keepin' an eye on her... and I think ever since she found out about Gaara's more demonic side she's been more protective of me than I am of her. She can take care of herself for the most part."

"That is a change from you." He gave a sly smile. "The days when you threatened to skin Kiba are not that long gone."

She snorted. "Yeah, yeah, don't rub it in." She waved a little, walking to the door. "I'll see you later Lee. Take care of yourself."

"As long as you do the same." He said as she left.

Loor moved quickly as not to be caught by anyone who would find her unwelcome. Dr. Sumeyo and her small army of nurses, which were basically all the people Loor had slugged on her first major hospital stay, would be the main ones to avoid. Without any big confrontations Loor managed to get out of the hospital, onto the streets, and heading for Naruto's apartment among the shinobi complexes.

She'd learned where his place was since Naruto had ended up taking her in every now and then when he'd join her for her night time training sessions and she'd work herself till she passed out. He, without a key into the apartment she was staying at, would simply take her to his place and set her on his bed. Well, that's what he did the first time. After that, he learned Loor had a preference for sleeping on the floor.

Getting there shortly after the sun had come over the walls of Konoha, Loor assumed Naruto was still at home and lightly knocked on his door. From inside, she heard someone rolling off of a bed, landing on the floor, and cursing.

"Good morning Naruto!" She gave, teasing.

There was a string of choice words from the other side of the door, and Loor could hear the blond boy stumbling about his home and fumbling with the lock on the door. Once he managed it and got the door open, Loor had to chuckle lightly at what he was wearing.

Naruto stood slouched over, wearing a light blue nightshirt and pants decorated with little designs that looked like ramen bowls and narutos (fish cake slices, commonly found in ramen.), which were circular white shapes with a red swirl. He had one hand in his shirt, scratching his slightly exposed stomach, the pants sliding down a little because he had stepped on the leg, green boxers showing. On his head he wore a lopsided nightcap that looked like bear, fuzzy with ears sticking up.

And this was the guy who had saved the village from the monster that was Shukaku.

"Loor... waddaya want?" He yawned, not noticing her amusement.

"Just wanted to see how you were doing." She gave. "I've met Shukaku on occasion... he's one of those who bite on the first date."

He shrugged. "I..." He yawned widely, motioning her inside. The yawn lasted long enough for her to get in, he to shut the door, and for both of them to sit down at his kitchen table. "... Got this ointment from Hinata... it works really well..." He slumped over the table while Loor picked her legs up onto her chair, resting her head on her knees. "...And I've always healed fast... though I think that's cause of the fox an all..."

Loor smiled a little. "That's cool. So you're gonna be up and about real quick, huh?"

"Actually," He was waking up a little now, pulling his nightcap off and ruffling his own blond hair so it would stick up in its usual wild manner. "I've already got somethin' going on. Pervy-sage has this trip he's going on, and he wants me to come along."

"Oh?" Loor raised one eyebrow. A trip? With Jariya? So quickly after the village gets attacked? Loor sensed an alterer motive that Naruto probably wouldn't pick up on. "Where to?"

"Not lookin' for a place... he's got a lady he wants to interview." He got up, going back into his room and pulling off his nightshirt to switch it in for the black sleeveless he wore under his orange coat. He wasn't really worried about changing where Loor could see him. Loor didn't give a shit about what she saw or what others saw. The word shame didn't exist for her. "But he promised to teach me a really cool jutsu, so who cares about that? I know Pervy-Sage ignores me most of the time, but he _did_ teach me how to walk on water and to summon, so he's got to deliver on this one, believe it!!"

Loor didn't jab at Naruto's catch phrase as the boy changed his night pants out for his orange pants completing his outfit. She just raised an eyebrow. "Walk on water?" She questioned.

He looked over at her, coming back into the main room, his usual energy level back by now. "Yeah. It's just like the chakra control you use to walk up buildings and trees, only you have to adjust it all the time according to the movement of the water under you and stuff. You mess up, you fall in."

Loor blinked several times. After blinking, a muscle under her right eye twitched twice. _Dude... was Jesus a ninja...? _

She snorted at herself. _**Yeah, sure Loor, Jesus was a freaking ninja.** _ The sentence dripped sarcasm.

She snapped out of her inner conversation to smirk at Naruto. "Dude, you gotta teach me."

He had busied himself with finding two cups of instant ramen and heating some water for it. It would seem he was serving her breakfast today. "Well I can't till I get back. Me an' Pervy-Sage are going to be taking tomorrow, and I donno when we're gonna be back."

"Well Fury and I are going to be getting out of the village pretty soon. What if you come back after we've left?"

He considered this, coming over with the hot water and poring it into the two instant ramen cups, sitting down. "Mmmm... Maybe you could talk Pervy-Sage into letting you come with. Then he can train me, and I could turn around and train you... though he only wanted me to come on this trip. Shouldn't be too hard to convince him though, he likes you."

She chuckled dryly. "He likes me because I don't scream when he peeps on me in the hot springs, and that I promised to read his books once I get around to learning more of your guys' written language."

"Why do you let him do that?" He asked, curious. "I mean, I know what the other girls scream, but why are you so cool with him doing that?"

"Cause he's harmless." She snickered, leaning back in her chair. "All he does is look, and it's all he can do. He's a writer, under the public eye, not to mention he's probably a damned good ninja if he could teach you how to summon that giant toad. Knowing that he's locked to simply looking, there's not a single reason for me to deprive him of every mental picture he's ever wanted."

Naruto thought about that for a few seconds, and nodded. "Loor, you're somethin' else, believe it!"

She grinned, reaching for her ramen cup to check if it was done. "Thanks." She growled a little, the noodles still a bit undercooked. She pushed the paper top closed again, putting it back by Naruto's. "So... we'll be going out of Konoha, eh?"

He nodded, getting up for a second to grab chopsticks and pull a carton of milk out of his fridge. He never bothered with glasses, and she didn't really care about drinking out of the same carton as him as long as he didn't backwash. "Yeah, though I don't know how far, or where."

"Doesn't he know where this lady friend is? I mean, if you wanna interview someone, you generally already know where they are, right?" She questioned, reaching for the milk and shaking the carton a little. It sounded lumpy...

"Uh..." Naruto laughed a little at himself. "I didn't really ask. I don't care about that part of this trip. It's probably just something for his perverted books anyway."

She shook her head at him while eying the milk suspiciously. "Uh... Naruto, I think your milk has issues."

He shrugged. "I don't drink it that often, I just felt like it today."

She flicked the carton open and hesitantly stuck her nose over it, quickly holding the carton away from her and covering her nose after doing so. "Oh for the love of--! Naruto, your milk is bad! How long has this carton been sitting in there?"

He thought about it for a few seconds, and then shrugged. "I donno."

She sighed, putting it down on the edge of the table, as far from herself as she could. "If you drink that you'll probably have the runs all day... or get really sick."

Naruto eyed his milk for a few moments, and then smirked. "Dude, I should give it to Sasuke."

"Naruto!" Loor yelped. "That is an awesome idea."

* * *

Finding Jariya was not a problem. You start at the women's bath house and start going outwards from there, you generally find him camped out somewhere from which his spyglass can see what's going on in the baths. Loor had gone looking for him alone, seeing as Naruto had to take off to the training grounds to tell Kakashi he was going to be gone for a while. Finding him, as she suspected, was not hard at all. He was up on top of a two-story building near the bathhouse, able to look down upon the women there.

Of course, that meant he wasn't paying all that much attention to what was going on around his hiding spot. Loor was able to climb up, get behind him, and sit as if she was enjoying some show. "Nice view?" She questioned casually.

He pulled his spyglass a little from his face, glancing back at her. "Loor, what are you doing up here? I doubt you came to join me."

She shrugged. "I heard Naruto and you were going on a trip."

"What of it?" He asked, looking back through the spyglass.

"Naruto was wondering if I could come along. He wants to teach me how to walk on water like you taught him."

"Does he now?" The perverted old man sighed, shaking his head and closing his spyglass to turn his attention upon Loor. He knew her nature enough by now. He would need his full attention on her to avoid falling into one of her little verbal traps. "Can't that wait till we get back?"

"I doubt it. Fury and I want to be out of here pretty soon. If you guys get back after we're gone, I don't get to learn anything."

He scrutinized her, frowning at the somewhat short blond girl. "Is that all? You just want to train with Naruto?"

"Sort of." One of her sly smiles drew up on her face. "Where are you two going? The Hokage just died and you're taking a road trip. I'm pretty sure its not just about training."

"A couple of places." Jariya shrugged. "And there's no special reason. I'm looking for an old friend of mine and Naruto insisted on coming with me. There's a few outpost towns we'll probably spend the night at on the way, and then we'll probably get to a few of the major cities. Naruto can train while I'm asking around for her."

"Why do you have to ask around for her? If she's you're friend you should know where she is." Loor was getting more suspicious by the second.

"You could say she's always avoiding people who hound her."

"What's her name?" Loor put innocent curiosity on her face.

"What's it matter to you?"

A smirk drew onto her face, and Jariya felt as if he had just lost something. She got up, dusting off her pants and waving a little. "I gotta run, Toad-Sage, but you be sure to get back to me on weather I can come or not. I really want to."

"What's that smirk all about?" He asked before she made the jump back to the street. It made her look back at him again, and go to a full grin.

"Very simple, Jariya. If you're testy about a name that would probably mean nothing to me, this person has to be important... which means Kakashi probably knows something about it. I'll go ask him and see if I can dig anything else up."

The man behind her blinked several times as she jumped down off the building, wondering how the hell he fell for that one.

* * *

"... Temari... you're back."

"Gaara, lay back down. You shouldn't be up and about yet. Where's Kankuro?"

"Out. Did you--?"

"No. Loor wasn't there... but I told Shikamaru to tell her... I'll be going back again tomorrow night. Shikamaru thought he might be able to dig up a book or something on medical care so we can get back home a little faster."

"I want to go with you."

"Gaara, no. You need to rest."

"I need to see her."

"... Gaara... she misses you too, I'm sure, but we can't risk getting seen right now. If we're caught anywhere in the Fire country we're good as dead. We need to get you healed up, get back home, and handle things from there."

"Who said I wanted to go back home? The Kazekage is dead; our operation failed and was misguided to begin with. The people will want someone to blame."

"They don't _all_ hate you."

"No... they hate the monster, and I am too small to see."

"Gaara, we have to go back. If we don't... well..."

"What Temari? What reason do I have?"

"Me and Kankuro have no where else to go, and we care about you... and we want you to be where we can care _for _ you, like older siblings should."


	7. Not Quite Homeward Bound

Six of six! YAY! Now I can get back to writing the next few chapters. See you punks... when I see you. And I don't mean to sound needy or anything but would it kill y'all to take five seconds and review?! I mean seriously, I've put the more work into this fic than any of my other ones, and it has the least reviews. Gawd... how sad is that?

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Seven- Not Quite Homeward Bound**

Fury sighed heavily, looking down at Akamaru, who had spent the night with her. Her face was tear stained, and stung slightly since she hadn't the power to wipe the droplets from her eyes off of her face. A nurse had come in that morning to find that she hadn't slept, crying for the fact that Kiba didn't believe her, the slight pain of the tears on her face, or just frustration. That nurse had helped clean her up, but left her alone beyond that.

Why didn't he believe her? Hadn't enough unbelievable things happened around here for her story to seem pretty tame? Was Shukaku not something out of legend and nightmares, making her story seem as crazy as a newborn kitten? Perhaps to her sense of reality, but it would seem to Kiba that demons and war were more believable than the existence of other worlds.

But Akamaru believed her, it would seem. Why else would he have stayed behind to be with her? When he had been awake the night before he would lick Fury's face as she cried to help her out, to comfort her. She felt as if she was beginning to understand the dog's body language, when he was happy and sad, when he wanted her to feel better. She didn't have a grip upon it like Kiba did, but she was beginning to get it.

At the moment, the brown and white pup had just woken up for the morning, yawning and rolling onto his back, showing off his soft underbelly as if looking for a morning scratch. After a few seconds he realized he wasn't going to get it, and looked up at Fury to be reminded that is wasn't that she didn't want to indulge him, it's just that she couldn't.

"Morning..." The girl greeted, leaning her head back on her pillow and hefting a sigh. The pup at once got up, walking onto her chest to look down at her face, nuzzling into her neck as she looked away.

"How long do ya think it'll be before he comes back...?" She asked the wall to her left, feeling empty.

The dog seemed to shrug, lying down and resting his head up against her neck, tucked under her chin.

Fury closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to try and avoid any more tears. She didn't have the energy to cry anymore, having slept but not feeling well rested. She had been thinking about what flaw there had been when she told the story. Had she used too many words of description? Made it sound too dramatic? What had made him think she lied? It was hard to recount a story of brutal murder without making it sound dramatic...

Suddenly, she heard the door click. She lifted her head up, feeling a rush go through her.

... was it Kiba?

... no, it was Loor.

Loor had a strange mixture of smug and sad on her face. Obviously, her grievance over Gaara was yet to go away. To the blond teen, the boy was as good as dead in her mind. Still, the smugness made Fury a little curious.

"_Onee-san?_ " Fury asked, happy that her voice didn't betray the tears she had shed before.

"_Imoto-chan."_ Loor answered, coming over to Fury's hospital bed and sitting on the end. "How are you?"

"I..." Fury pondered if she should tell Loor about Kiba and such, but decided not to. "I'm pretty good. Surviving."

Loor seemed to detect something, but her preoccupied mind passed it under the radar. "That's good... I was going to talk to Kakashi about a few things, but he's busy with his team, so I thought I'd come see how you were doing."

"What things?" Fury asked as Loor held her hand out to Akamaru to see if the dog was okay with her petting him. "I mean, I remember he said he was going to train us more after the Chunnin exams, but when Sasuke made finals and they disappeared that kinda put an end to that plan."

"Hm..." Loor thought for a second as Akamaru started licking her palm. "I had forgotten about that. But, anyway, I heard that Naruto was taking a trip with Jariya for training, and Naruto has a few tricks Jariya had already taught him that he'd like to teach me... Jariya mentioned they're also looking for an old friend of his too, but he won't tell me who, which makes me think this trip is about more than training." She scratched Akamaru behind of his floppy ears. "I mean... right after the Hokage's death? They gotta be up to somethin'. So I went to go find Kakashi and ask about it, but I wasn't going to bother him while he was working with his team."

Fury leaned her head back on her pillow again, thinking. "It does seem a little fishy... but what in the world would Naruto wanna teach you? Not more pranks? The Chunnin stadium was bad enough."

Loor giggled slightly. "No, it's more on chakra control. You know how we learned how to walk up trees and buildings with Kakashi's team?"

Fury nodded a little. "Yeah, what about it?"

"The next step is walking on water, learning how to adjust your concentration according to how the surface under your feet moves."

"Walking on water...?" Fury looked a tad skeptic. "Dude... was Jesus a ninja?"

Loor started laughing. "I asked myself the same question."

"So how long would you be gone if you went with them?"

Loor shrugged, leaning back on the foot of the bed, facing the ceiling like Fury was. "I'm not quite sure..."

"I thought you wanted to go home as soon as you could."

"Can't really do that with you like this, can I? I'm not going to have them rush your recovery. I don't trust all this jutsu stuff that much. It all seems a little too hocus pocus to me... it makes fighting too easy, like cheating... and I know the doctors say that it makes the body stronger, but I can hardly believe that." She then giggled a little. "Not to mention I've seen how Kiba's been taking care of you. It's awful sweet of him. I'm sorry about yelling at him the other night... he's kinda growin' on me."

Fury hefted a slight sigh. "Yeah... about that..."

Loor detected something was wrong. "Hm?" She questioned, sitting up. Akamaru had started whining in protest to Fury, who shook her head at the little dog.

"It's Loor's story too." Fury told the puppy. "She should know what I do with it."

She sounded very mature when she said that.

"What are you talking about, Fury?" Loor asked.

Fury opened her mouth to speak, and Akamaru started barking, jumping up from his spot and trying to butt Fury's mouth shut with the top of his head. Loor grabbed the dog to assist, holding him still.

"I told Kiba."

It was given a few seconds to sink in as Loor blinked at her friend. At first she shifted a little in her spot, shifting her head back and forth as if shifting it around other things in her mind as it made it to the portion of her brain that could decode the words and tell her what they meant. Once they made it there, Loor gave a very critical look to Fury.

"...why?"

"I've been lying to him all this time, dodging him when he asked... and it just got to hurting too much. I mean... it would be like you lying to Gaara, right? I mean, that's hardly any good since you lie to everyone, but it's a lot worse for me and you know it. But he asked, and I just didn't want to lie anymore..." Fury huffed a little, having been holding back tears again. Akamaru wormed out of Loor's slacked grip, going to comfort Fury by licking her face and nuzzling and whining.

"Where is he...?" Loor asked, the same stalling happening. Everything had slowed down in Loor's mind.

The secret was out. Kiba probably wouldn't tell anyone, but what if a nurse had passed outside? What if... what if Lee had come looking for Loor and listened outside? How many people could know, could be telling others? Loor's mind was building upon this chaotic chain while trying to listen to Fury at the same time.

"He..." Fury bit her lower lip again. "He left when I told him. He thought I was lying to him; trying to get him to back off so he wouldn't insist on visiting me or me visiting him when we left."

"He thinks you don't..." Loor paused on the next word. "...don't like him like he likes you."

"Yeah." Fury nodded. "You... you Loor, you're lucky. You weren't even trying to find love, and it found you."

Loor snorted a little, pushing herself to her feet, crossing her arms over her chest and walking towards the window to look outside, upon the slowing coming noon. "Lucky...?" She shook her head. "Fury... I didn't want love. I know what it does to people... what it's doing to me... We're going to leave, and he's already gone... and it's ripping me apart. Sure, I may have found him... he may have found me, and sure maybe sparks flew and all that other romantic crap..." She hefted a large sigh. "But the fact still stands that we will never see each other again. Maybe Kiba's reaction is a blessing... so he won't kill himself when you disappear off the face of the Earth."

"I don't want to leave him." Fury told the ceiling.

"Live with it!" Loor snapped. "He left me!!"

Both girls were speaking about their respective boys, of course, but Loor's outburst was unexpected. Loor had not been very out about the relationship before, and snapping at her little sister about it was not normal. Loor _was_ really rattled by this.

Slowly, Fury turned her head from the ceiling to her sister.

Fury saw Loor's back, as the elder sister was at the window still, her forehead leaned against it, one hand pressed to the glass, the other arm hanging down like a dead creature. Her bare shoulders shook with tears that were once again going down her face, though Fury could only hear her breath and sniffles. What she could see was Loor's strong body being put to waste by emotional agony.

"Loor... I don't want to have this conversation with you right now."

Loor sniffed heavily, turning her head a bit to peak it under her upraised arm. Fury could see her tears now, know they were real as anything. "Why not...?"

"We're both heart-broken... neither of us can think straight. Sure, I'm not hurting as much as you... but to me it's just as bad because I can't feel your pain to compare it to mine. My thought right now is I don't want to leave until I've fixed things with Kiba, and we both know then I won't want to leave at all.. but if we takes the boys out of this... I still think we're better off staying here."

* * *

Kiba had been standing outside Fury's door for a fair amount of time now. He had watched Loor go into the hospital room, probably only a few yards behind her, and had stood outside of the room to eavesdrop the whole time.

He had been returning... to tell her that he believed her.

He had gotten up that morning to talk to Kurenai, who promptly reacted first with surprise that Fury told him and then confirmed every last bit of her story, if not a bit reluctantly. It had been one of Sarutobi's orders that no one but those necessary knew about it.

One could guess that Kiba kinda made himself necessary when he and Fury became romantic interests.

Hearing this argument between Loor and Fury for the first time, Kiba's belief was only solidified. Doubts flew out of his mind that it could be just one complex trick, because Loor would not cry for a trick... and Akamaru would never go along with something so cruel.

Thing was, Kiba was not so adsorbed into listening as to ignore someone else arriving at this particular door.

Lee had been coming to visit the younger sister and ask where the elder one was to find Kiba with his ear turned to the door. Lee, being the respectful kind of guy that he was, at once opened his mouth to protest Kiba's behavior. Still, the younger boy put his finger up to his lips and motioned Lee over.

"They're talking about going home..." Kiba whispered to the boy who had hobbled down here on his crutches.

"_Live with it!"_ Loor's voice came through the door. _"He left me!!" _

Lee heard the warble in Loor's voice. "Is she...?"

"Yeah... crying."

Both boys stood at the door, listening. Despite Fury's wanting to avoid the conversation, it happened anyway and quickly escalated into a battle of who could yell louder. Most of the points on Loor's side had been lost to angry ranting, but Fury, who's voice was weaker, had gone to beat her sister with logic.

She made the point that Loor's thing about going back to protect Fury's family made no sense. Fury's family would be safer if they stayed in Konoha, for going back would be leading the wolf to the door and leaving the door open.

Kiba and Lee looked at each other as the girls fought. Lee looked confused, because Loor wasn't censoring the fact that they were from a very different place. Lee was probably already coming to understand that there was more mystery behind Loor's story than he knew, but didn't open his mouth to ask.

Kiba, honestly, agreed with Fury. Orochimaru didn't have issues with getting his hands dirty, just look at all the buildings in Konoha that had been ruined during the invasion. If he went after Fury and Loor after they were home, Fury's family getting in the way would get them killed for sure. Perhaps it was best just to forget about them.

What would really piss Loor off later was that Lee also agreed with Fury. She made a very good point that more people would be threatened if they were to return. Loor and Fury were sure to have friends that were as good as family with the way Loor associated herself with others. More lives for Orochimaru to use against her, because that mark on Loor's neck made it obvious that he had more plans for Loor than a bloody end. No... that mark, as Loor had explained to him, was a leash.

Orochimaru would be looking to capture Loor, and was probably willing to use anyone he could to get her to come quietly, or change it into a bloody battle if she didn't listen.

Kiba had started thinking about this too, and the mark that the ABUN impostor had put on Fury's neck... it was of the same nature and probably from the same person. Orochimaru didn't just want Loor, he wanted the pair.

And them being from a different world is what made them special... and Orochimaru had already tried to take down Konoha. There were other places to rage war, and if Loor and Fury's home really was a place without shinobi it would be a great target for Orochimaru to attack... and if he had leashed Loor and Fury and they went back home... he could attack it form the inside.

He was making them into weapons. Lee had figured it out at the same point, and the two boys made eye contact and nodded to show that the point had been hit home for both of them.

It was at that point that the argument at the other side had come to a halt. Loor left Fury's room violently, ignoring the boys on her way out and quickly storming away. She noticed them, but was too steamed to give them more than a roasting glare.

Lee attempted hobbling after Loor, but Kiba grabbed him and shook his head. "Only if you want her to kill you."

Lee sighed a little, nodding.

"...Kiba...?"

The addressed turned to look into the room, giving a slight smile as he saw Fury looking at him. "Fury." He greeted, walking in. Lee, not knowing what to do, followed him and shut the door. Kiba helped Lee into the chair and sat on Fury's bed, quickly leaning over to hug her.

Fury gave him a funny look at first, and then looked at Lee.

"You... you guys... were you listening to us?" Fury asked as Kiba went to the job of cleaning off Fury's face. Akamaru had been licking up her tears again so she was covered in slarm.

"Yeah." Kiba nodded. "I think you oughtta tell Lee what he don't know."

"Kiba?" She questioned. Akamaru also gave him a skeptic look.

"Yeah, I believe you. I need to talk to you too..."

Fury looked between the guys again as Akamaru welcomed back his owner with a little more energy now that they were all on the same side again.

"I am a little confused..." Lee gave, his first words of the conversation. "But I am getting to understand that you and Loor are not from any place a Konoha Jonin would normally go..."

Fury chuckled dryly. "Buddy... you have no idea."

* * *

"Kakashi-sensei!!"

Kakashi, who had been standing idle at the moment at the training grounds, turned slightly to look behind himself. Honestly, he was about to turn and pull out his book and read on the way to something else, but getting called out by someone tends to disturb plans.

Behind him, Loor was walking down the path to the training grounds... and just by the look of her posture and gate she wasn't in the best of moods... and she had a big bone to pick.

Now then, Kakashi didn't fear any of his students, but he would admit that Loor certainly did have the potential of being a threat if she tried really, really hard and if she was very, very pissed. Well, seeing as that was already half true, he put the book that was half out of his belt pouch back away and turned to face the girl. "Something wrong, Loor?"

She shook her head a little as she got closer, stopping at a normal conversational distance. That was a blessing, she was thinking enough to know that trying to intimidate him was impossible. Better than Naruto was on most days. "Quite a few things, actually, but I got a thing or two to say to you specifically."

"Well, fire away. Mind if we walk at the same time? I promised to meet Sasuke at one of the dumpling shops."

Loor sighed shortly, nodding a little and waving ahead for him to start walking. "When are you going to send Fury and me home?"

"Hmm...?" He let his showing eye drift down to her, frowning a little through his mask. "Well... I know you had been set on the day of the chunnin finals, but we all saw how that worked out. Sadly... I can't till there's a new Hokage."

Loor raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about, sensei?"

He shook his head, looking ahead as they returned to the streets of Konoha, gesturing around. "Look around, Loor. The village isn't in great shape, and to add onto it our leader is gone. They're scrambling to put someone else in command, but the counsel's first choice refused... You might not depend all that much on your leaders back at home, but here the Hokage is as important to every person in the village as he is to the village itself."

Loor, like she was directed, lifted her head to look around at the buildings about. It was true... those who invaded ripped apart so much. Explosive jutsu, or just destruction for the sake of, the place was ripped apart... and the villagers came together with each other to put things together. It would take a while to fix everything, and Konoha's very foundations had been shaken by the attack, but they would survive.

Loor wondered if this kind of neighbor-to-neighbor thing was created by the Hokage's relationship with the people. She was getting to understand Kakashi's point. Where Loor was from, the only person who would help you fix your roof if it got ripped off of your house is a local contractor or the government, and they'd screw out of every dime they could. But back home, their leaders thought that was good enough, and the system put them above everyone. Here, the Hokage was on the level with the people, despite his status. When someone broke into your house and shattered your favorite vase someone you didn't even know would easily volunteer to help you with it in this kind of setting because of the leader's example.

And the leader was gone. These people were staying together from Sarutobi's lessons, but they would not survive on that alone. The next leader was very important if the village was to recover completely and continue to flourish.

"I still don't see what that has to do with me and Fury..." Loor mused.

Kakashi took a turn down a different street. "The second choice they have for Hokage is someone Sarutobi trained. You see, the Hokage once trained a three-man team like I train Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto. The Hokage's team became known as the Sannin, legendary shinobi with incredible power. Jariya's one of them, and now he's looking for his old teammate. If he can't talk her into it, Jariya will either have to take the job or talk the counsel into choosing someone else. If he can, she'll want to know everything that's happened in the village whilst she's been away. It would be a little hard to explain you and Fury to her without you two here."

Loor nodded a bit. "I get it, hard proof." She then thought for a few seconds. "Wait a tic, it was a three man team, right? What about the third team member?"

Kakashi shook his head. "Loor, honestly, how would we nominate the man who _killed _ Sarutobi to be Hokage?"

Loor stopped dead in her tracks, more than a little shocked.

Kakashi stopped and looked back her. "Something wrong?"

"You're telling me Orochimaru was one of Sarutobi's students? That monster is from _this_ village? Jariya was on a team with that guy?!"

Kakashi nodded slightly. "Yes. I'm sorry Loor, but without the new Hokage you can't leave."

"I get that." Loor sighed... "Listen, I'm assuming you know about Jariya's little trip to go looking for his old friend. I get that now, he's looking for his teammate... Inform him that I'm going with him. If I have to wait for the new Hokage, I'm going with to make sure it happens as fast as possible."

Kakashi seemed to smirk under his facemask. "Tell him yourself, Loor. If you tell him you know who he's looking for he'll probably assume I told you and I wanted you to go with him."

"I can't bluff very well without her name, Kakashi."

"Loor, if you knew her name, it wouldn't be a bluff."


	8. Setting Terms

Holy hell how long have I been gone? Too long, that's the answer. I don't like the changes fanfic made… they messed up page breaks, or at least how I saw them to know where to put them in the document manager. Without those dashes I can't even do song chapters right anymore! And my header is all screwed up! Why can't I have my underline in there?? It doesn't look good anymore... Which means I've changed it.

But I have other reasons for being depressed… and it's messing with my writing, I can tell.

Okay, so here's the latest news from the author's corner. I doubt you care, or if you're going to read, but oh well. I'm here. I'm writing. Let's get this over with.

**News on the Fic: ** Yes, production has slowed down a great deal. I don't feel much incentive when my chapters outnumber my reviews. Sorry for being bitchy, but there's a good reason behind it. I write because I love to write, yes, but I can't judge my own writing. I think it's good because I wrote, but it doesn't matter what I think, it matters what _you,_ the reader, thinks.

Now I know there are those of you who would say 'who cares what the readers think? As long as you enjoy writing it shouldn't matter.'

…. –Stabs this person-

Yes, I know it shouldn't matter to me. Or, at least it wouldn't if I was just writing for the sake of it. Thing is, I wanna _do_ something with this. I wanna go places with my writing. Not this story, of course, but eventually I wanna write for my bread and butter. _That's _ why the reader matters. When you go pro… it's all about the reader.

Now here's the thing. I'm not asking for positive feedback, I just want FEEDBACK. I don't care if it's a flame or constructive criticism or one of those glowing 'you're a great author' things, at least someone would say something!! Yes, I know its SI. I know it's a sequel. I know the summary SUCKS. But I can see my hit counter!! When hits to reviews are 1372 to 1, you start getting depressed.

So yeah… I'm not happy. But I'll live. I always survive my emotional stuff, it isn't your guy's fault, I put myself online, I got high expectations when my crappy fics got lots of reviews, and as the writing got better and better the reviews got to be less and less. It's my fault, I know that.

So let's move on.

**News on the Author: ** After slow production I'm going to be taking a month-long leave. Actually four weeks. Where is she going, you ask? Well Loor is off to GERMANY! _Ja, Ich gehe zu Deutschland. Und zu Rome. Mit mine Deutsch klasse._ I'll be gone in three weeks, and I'll be back four weeks after that.

Wonder how much Loor's going to start speaking German in the fic after I get back.

Now that this forward is FAR too long and WAY too full of my self-adsorbed and egotistical ranting…

OWTF!!

**No ownage. **

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Eight- Setting Terms**

"I know who you're looking for."

Jariya was sitting exactly where Loor had left him, since the hiding spot was working for him. It would seem Loor had disturbed him while he was viewing a particularly promising specimen, because he reacted by giving her a look that started at being surprised, then skeptic, and then angry. "Can't you see I'm working?" He glared. "I don't have time for your games."

"I'm going with you guys, Jariya. I can't leave till there's a new Hokage, and I'm going with you to make sure things go as fast as possible."

The perverted hermit Loor was faced with went back to being skeptic, and then leaned towards where Loor sat. "Kakashi told you?"

"You got it." Loor gave back, unmoved by the old man's attempt to intimidate her by nearly touching noses with her. Instead, she lifted her trademark eyebrow. "And like I said, I'm going with to make sure that no time is wasted on the frivolous." She leaned to the side to look beyond him to the baths he had been viewing. "Knowing how easily you could be distracted."

"Distracted?" He seemed to be a little offended. "This is important research! Vital to my work!"

"Yes, and your work is right up my alley. I've got no gripe with perversion, okay? I just want to go home, and the new Hokage has to be in power for that to happen. Now then, are you going to let me come with you guys or am I going to have to use a transformation jutsu on myself to look like something in Naruto's pack and sneak along?"

"You've been thinkin' about this for a while, haven't you?" Jariya gave with a raised eyebrow to match Loor's.

She nodded, pushing her already raised eyebrow further as if to compete with him on who was better at manipulating their own face.

"Alright, you can come along." Jariya finally gave, standing up and putting his eyeglass away. "But you're going to the first bath house we see. Seriously, when was the last time you washed? I think you might be worse than Naruto."

Loor smirked. "I never find time for a bath since I'm always training!" She stood up and stretched. "Honestly... I think the last time was... oh geez..." She thought heavily about it. "Probably before the Chunnin finals."

Jariya felt the muscle under his left eye twitching, and quickly grabbed Loor's shoulders, turned her towards the baths he had just been peeping on, and pointed. "I am not sleeping in the same room as a girl who has no hygiene habits. Seriously..."

Loor snorted slightly. "I'm sorry I never find the time... no one really seems to notice to be honest..."

"That because you probably never sit in a room with someone. Outside, you can't really smell someone who hasn't been bathing. Sit in a room though, whew!" He waved a hand by his nose as emphasis. He then gave her a light push towards the bathhouses. "Go on."

She turned to glare at him. "But I sit with Fury, Naruto, Lee, and Kiba all the time! They never say a damned thing! Okay, Fury does sometimes but... oh well!"

"Naruto's habits are as bad as yours..." Jariya muttered. "I swear, you two are practically twins."

"Only he's a bone head and I actually think." Loor gave, rolling her eyes.

Jariya gave her a look, and pushed her again. "Bath, now, or you can't come along."

Loor spared him one last glare, and then jumped down to do as she was told, flipping the bird behind herself.

What was so important about bathing anyway? It was something she neglected pretty often to tell the truth, even at home. Between her writing binges, training, or just doing random art stuff, there was always something more important than spending an hour to get rid of oil collecting in her hair and face. Since she didn't really care what it did to her, and at the age of thirteen it was yet to do much, she saw little point.

Still... she had her priorities, so Jariya's orders where law at the moment.

Getting into the bathhouse, stripping, taking a bath, dressing, and leaving was actually more challenging than it sounded. Oh, no, it wasn't like Loor had to pay or anything. Natural hot springs and such, it wasn't like they had to keep a fire going and pay for fuel and such. It was all public and free.

When Loor got in she found that her cloths were becoming a problem... the green coat was the only thing that really fit. Yanking her black sports bra off actually hurt a little bit as her more... 'womanly' growth was taking its toll. Her pants were now high water, hardly concealing her leg weights anymore (Ninety pounds each now thanks to the new section she added), and her underwear had become so consumed by her ass it looked like a thong.

Getting into a shower was the next step, and the attendant noted Loor's condition with disgust. The girl had lines from her clothes. Her bra had caught and held dirt and other things against the body, forming lines that she had to take extra time to scrub off, not to mention extra soap. Her tan lines from clothes she never took off were beyond obvious, her upper body toasted and covered in freckles while her legs had stayed almost white thanks to being protected from the sun.

As she was finally doing a very rigorous cleaning of her hair, which had actually started to become matted, the bath attendant came around offering to wash Loor's clothes for her. It was an offer Loor accepted while arguing with her hair. She ran a brush through it every day! Lee had one at his apartment, where she'd been living, so it wasn't like she had dreadlocks. Still, when you have longer hair, which she did, it tended to mat up pretty easy.

Finally getting out of the shower a much cleaner person Loor grabbed one of the white towels and went towards the hot spring to relax. By the time she finally came out her clothes, cleaned and dried, were waiting for her with a hairbrush.

Loor was glad to have that, along with finding a mirror since she hadn't seen one for weeks. She didn't bother with her clothes till she'd brushed her hair smooth, finding the blond locks fell beyond her shoulder blades now. She growled at the length... long hair was so hard to take care of, and she didn't care for it much. She would cut it, but someone would probably say she was copying Sakura like Ino had. No way would she be even accused of playing follow the leader.

Now the challenge of getting her clothes back on.

Underwear; hardly covering things that needed to be covered. Pants; still high water and just a little tight on the legs and crotch.

The real war was with her bra.

The first step was pulling it down over her shoulders, where had become broader as she had filled out more. Once that battle was won (and it was hard won) it was getting a B sized sports bra to fit over breasts that had decided they were not going to stay that small for much longer, and live with the fact that Loor's rib cage was probably NOT 28 inches around anymore.

Can anyone say 'breathing difficulties'?

Loor growled slightly, leaving the bathhouse and going towards the hospital again.

She might as well visit Lee with her victory over Jariya finally secure.

* * *

"That never even crossed my mind..." Fury muttered. The boys had explained to her their theory. "I mean... I never thought about why he was doing it, just that he'd done it to us. This... this is a lot bigger than I thought it was."

Kiba nodded a little, sighing. "So now we just gotta tell Loor."

"I would be able to." Lee offered.

"No." Fury said, shaking her head. "I'll do it."

"What?"

Both boys had asked this at the same time.

"This is my argument against her... I'm the one who has to make her see sense. Lee, if you do it, she'll see you as just not wanting her to leave. Goodness knows she still likes you a lot... and Kiba, if you do it, she'll see it as you trying to keep me here. I have to do it, no two ways about it."

"But what if she does not listen?" Lee questioned. "It is not really her strong point when she is passionate about something."

"I know." She looked down at Akamaru, who was still sitting on her stomach. "It's not a strong point of hers at all. Loor tends to miss the things she doesn't want to hear. I'll figure something out."

Lee got up to leave. "Good luck Fury."

Fury took his words with a slight nod, and Kiba opened the door for Lee as he managed his way out.

Going back to his room was a slow going thing... he was very worried about Loor. She was obviously a loose cannon, and now with Fury's explanation of where they were from, and his and Kiba's theory of what Orochimaru was planning, he was worrying all the more. He hoped that Fury would make a strong argument, because if she did not Loor would play right into Orochimaru's hands... even if they were disabled.

And then there were his own feelings for her. Loor was an incredible person. Sure, stubborn, but strong and smart, not to mention she had her own measure of beauty, even if she was yet to figure out regular bathing habits. He'd seen her at her best and worst in that department, and she always managed to maintain some attractive feature. Not as beautiful as Sakura, but indeed pleasing to his eye.

He was sure if something happened to her he would never forgive himself for being useless in the situation.

Lee sighed slightly, getting to the elevator to get back to his room. He was on the third floor where Fury was on the second floor. He pressed the button, looking over at the door for the stairs, frowning. He missed being active. Walking, running, anything! He glanced between the elevator doors, which were yet to react to the button he'd pressed, and the door to the stairwell.

He shook his head. He knew better. He'd already attempted that one once. Last time he attempted stairs he was lucky that Gai sensei was already on his way up to see him and ended up catching his student before he got badly hurt tumbling down the steps. Lee still had the bruises to prove it. Not that a little pain was his fear. Heh, pain had never been his fear. More like if he landed on his spine wrong he'd become paralyzed and never run again.

The elevator finally opened, and Lee tore his eyes away from the stairs to look where he was going.

"Lee." The person inside greeted.

Lee, a little shocked, gave a little smile. "Loor." He returned, hobbling in and looking at the floor selected. She was only going up one more. "I thought you would be one for the stairs." He said while noticing her blond hair, usually dull, was actually shiny and clean.

Okay, she might have been as beautiful as Sakura, but only if she worked at it.

She shrugged a little, shaking her head. "I've been all over the place today already, and I added another section to my weights so my legs are hard enough to work with... not to mention I'm going to be walking a lot tomorrow."

Lee leaned back against the elevator wall as the doors closed. "What do you mean?"

"I'm leaving on a little road trip tomorrow. Naruto's sensei, Jariya, is off to look for an old friend of his. Jariya invited Naruto for training, and Naruto invited me. It gives me something to have my mind on while Fury heals up... seeing as I've got some stuff to think over..." She then looked at Lee, her blue eyes gaining the electrical quality they always did when she wanted to know something. "How much did you hear before, when me and Fury were arguing?"

He stared at her for a few seconds. "I do not lie, Loor. I listened in for almost all of it... and Fury explained after that. May I say something?"

Loor put her hand on her forehead, hefting a sigh. _Two people know now... wonderful. From one to the next, nice job Loor. _ "Go ahead Lee."

"You are heart broken over Gaara having to leave. I understand that..." Lee mounted his crutches again as the elevator had opened already but he had been stalling getting out. Loor walked with him as they went towards his room. "Perhaps one of the things you should understand is that if you became a shinobi, decided to stay here, you could move to another village if you wished to do so. You could go just about anywhere as long you got permission from your Kage."

They had entered Lee's room now, but she was silent while he dismounted his crutches and got onto his bed. She helped him a bit with his blankets, but stayed mute as she ignored the chair in the corner and slipped onto his bed.

_Stay, become a shinobi, go places... to the Sand village, to other places, to wherever you want... _

_**Leave and protect the ones you love...** _

_Stay and forget about them... protect them by leaving them. _

_**Leave; go back to life, as you knew it. Pretend it's all a bad dream.** _

_Stay, train, and be powerful._

_**Leave, survive, and be weak.** _

She bit her lip, looking at Lee again. He was waiting for her to say something.

"I have to let go of him, Lee." She gave, sighing and shaking her head. "Whether I stay or not, I have to let go of him. I... I'm sure he doesn't really wanna see me anymore."

"Loor, I do not understand." Lee reached out to her with his good hand. She took it, feeling his thumb run over her knuckles as she lowered her hand to her own lap.

"He sent his sister to apologize to me... if I was feeling any pain, he wanted to say sorry. That means that he is feeling pain, and knows because he's feeling it, I'm feeling it. Pain is all relationships with others has caused him. Long enough, with how he thinks, he will stop missing me and start hating me for that pain." She looked up at him, squeezing his hand.

"So he is lost to you?" His eyes were wide.

"He has to be lost to me... I don't want it to be that way, but it simply is."

Lee sat there, watching as her eyes became hollow again. She lost her prospect for adventure tomorrow and regained her emotional chaos. He wanted to ask, 'what about me? Am I lost as well?' but refused to tax her mind further. She mourned Gaara as if he were dead... he had to give her time.

Still, he leaned forward from his pillow and rested his lips upon her forehead. She didn't protest, but broke the connection by nuzzling her head under his chin, resting there.

Tomorrow... she would leave with Naruto and Jariya. Tonight, she wanted to rest as her mind tried to do what she predicted Gaara's had already done; hate him for the pain.

"Lee... I want you to do me a favor."

"Hm...?"

"Keep an eye on Fury and Kiba for me. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something bad happened while I wasn't around."

"Spy on them?" Lee sounded like he might refuse.

"Not spy..." She giggled. "More like.. obsessively shadow."

"What will happen when I am noticed?"

"I doubt you will be, even injured." She moved her head to look up at him from resting on his chest. "You're a splendid shinobi, Lee. You're always going to be, and you should never think differently no matter how much a bloody pulp you've been beaten into. You still have everything a Shinobi needs to have; power, stealth, and a good head on your shoulders."

He had started blushing as she boosted his ego. She found it cute that he actually blushed and took no measure to hide it. It was nice to find a guy who was comfortable with the effects of his emotions. Still, despite the ego stoking, he was realistic. "Stealth is hard with crutches."

"Well... if you get noticed..." She shrugged. "Just tell them the truth, since I know you're not nearly as full of crap as I am."

He nodded his head slightly, resting his good arm around her shoulders. "Why do you lie? I have spoken to Fury before who says you do it in situations that do not even call for it."

"It's natural for me." She answered. "I've been doing it since I was little... kinda something I picked up from my brother. It was thrilling to get away with stuff when I was a kid, and after that..." She paused. "It was just what I did. If I told a therapist he'd call me pathological, which basically means that lying has become more natural to me than telling the truth. When asked a question, I actually have to think sometimes to answer a person honestly."

"And you do not get caught?"

"Sometimes. Fury knows some of the signs to look for, but she can't see them most of the time... usually, it takes someone who's just as full of crap to see that I'm not being honest. That's the thing with those who lie; we can always see our own kind... we're all story tellers... and the stories are things we'll never forget."

He thought about what she said, and she let her headrest again, listening to his heartbeat. She knew that even if Lee did think she would make a grand shinobi, and liked her very much, he probably lost a lot of respect for her just by knowing about her deception habits. She couldn't help that... and she often told prospective friends about it... Funny, it was like she was so used to rejection that she wanted to put all of her bad qualities right up front so they didn't find out about them later and decide to hate her.

"Have you ever lied to me? I mean... lied without just cause?"

She didn't move her head to look up at him again, thinking for a few moments. Had she lied to Lee before? Besides about home...

"No." She shrugged. "Never saw reason to. Haven't seen much reason to lie to anyone since me and Fury got here... I guess I only do it excessively when I'm bored."


	9. Road Trip

Okay guys, sorry for my outburst last chapter. I know I'm begging, and I feel like beating myself up. Oh well. I'm a feedback whore. I know it.

Feel free to throw sporks.

OWTF

**No Ownage.**

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Nine- Road Trip**

It was early morning when Loor came into Fury's room to say goodbye. Funny that Fury was sleeping, and thus would probably not know that her sister was gone till Loor was already a mile or two out of Konoha. Funny that Loor was actually able to feel a pang of regret about that, but didn't wake her sister. No, Fury needed her rest to heal...

Loor entered the room quietly, looking at Kiba snoozing close by Fury, his head and upper body cast onto the hospital bed and his lower body still half sitting in a chair at her bedside. He was probably drooling on the bed spread. Akamaru, the cute little puppy, was curled up under Fury's broken hand. Loor stood over the scene, feeling like some sort of angel instead of a physical being. She felt transparent, a ghost looking over something beautiful but impossible for her to touch.

She walked up to the bed, silent as the ghost she imagined herself as, and dropped a piece of paper onto Fury's chest. It was a simple farewell note. Lee had helped her with it that morning, so there was a section just for Fury written in English script and a section written in Loor's unpracticed and sloppy Japanese just for Kiba. To Fury, Loor wrote sadness and sorries for not saying good-bye in person. To Kiba, she requested with a few firm words (Lee would not tell her how to write curses) that the dog take care of her little sister as long as he didn't get any ideas.

She hefted a slight sigh, leaning down and gently kissing Fury's forehead. It was all she could spare without waking the girl.

Then, silent as always, she left the room, and then the hospital, towards the apartment she should have been sleeping at instead of taking her nights in Lee's hospital bed. It was Lee's apartment, and Loor had started staying there when she had been training with Lee. She'd taken domain of the place after what Gaara did to him at the chunnins though she didn't spend a whole lot of time there.

Loor got to the apartment, let herself in with her copied key, which Kakashi had somehow gotten after the fiasco at the finals. How Loor had lost it in that area, she had no idea. Still, she hadn't the time to go and pump Kakashi for information, and she doubted Jariya or Naruto would know. She'd just have to wait till they got back to ask around. Getting in, she put her key away in her pocket and quickly gathered her few possessions. Honestly, that wasn't much. She didn't own very much beyond the clothes on her back and the shoes on her feet. She had only three other things she needed to grab, and Lee had informed her where to find a pack (stashed under his bed) to put things in.

Loor put the last two sections of her weights that she was yet to attach to the leg weights themselves. She was carrying 90 pounds on either leg now; not bad for two months of work if she did say so herself. She just added a section every time she got used to the current load, and it was doing wonders for her. Not only was she getting better control and learning to fight against heavy resistance, her speed boost without them was incredible.

She could almost completely dodge being seen by the human eye, and once she pushed a little chakra into her legs she could become impossible to see till she stopped. Of course, such speed had its drawbacks. When others can't see you, you can't really see where you're going. Everything blurs. You pick a point, go there, stop, and decide your next move.

She also folded and picked up the blanket she'd been sleeping on for the time she'd been staying with Lee and put it in the pack to make it look like she was carrying a bit more. The pillow wouldn't fit, but an extra blanket never hurt anyone. Then, into a side pocket of the little army green pack, she put something else.

It was an object she'd almost forgotten about, something of a gift from Gaara, if you could call it that. On one of her many confrontations with him, he had actually carried her back to her hospital bed (when she was in the hospital) when she'd fallen asleep outside. When she came to, she woke to find a glass vial, corked, with sand in it. She assumed it was sand from the gourd, and took at him as trying to be sweet and an apology for trying to kill her when they first met.

She hadn't done much with it, being as useful to her as jewelry. She'd put it in her pocket the day she got out of the hospital, and then put it under the pillow she rested her head on every night. But today, after forgetting about it, she remembered it.

When she pulled it out from under that pillow and placed it in the pack, she frowned. She missed him... and was starting to understand the token a bit more. Had they had _that_ conversation again that night? Maybe a mention of it... him wanting her to leave before the finals for fear that she'd get hurt. Perhaps this token was more of a way of remembering him they inevitably parted ways.

Well, she was remembering, and their ways had parted.

Sighing, closing up the pack, and standing, Loor looked into the mirror that Lee had in his bedroom. Once again, she felt odd to see herself actually clean. She'd felt somewhat like a savage since arriving, but now she looked somewhat presentable... even if her clothes were too small. She wore her tight black sports bra, high water black night pants, the weapons pouch that had been gifted to her by Gai sensei on her left leg, open toe shoes, the green pack on her back and her slightly lighter green hooded zip-up shirt tied around her hips.

She blinked twice at herself, cocking her head as if something were missing. She thought about it for several moments, and then understood. She walked out of Lee's room, into the main room, where the weapon TenTen have given her was still stored.

Loor wielded a stave quite well, and TenTen had taken notice when her usual wooden practice one had become too light and useless. Out of the goodness of the girl's heart, TenTen had gone out of her way to get something proper for Loor. The weapon she received was four and a half feet, exactly two inches shorter than the girl who held it. The shaft was a dark hardwood with metal seals where the three sections of wood had been brought together to form the weapon's length. The wood was polished, shining as much as the thin and slightly curved blades on either end of the weapon.

Loor, short as she was, was still trying to figure out how to carry this thing. For practice it was wonderful, but Loor didn't trust stringing it through the back of her bra like she would with her hold wooden stave. She feared the sharp blade on one end cutting into the back of her head or the other tip cutting into her calves as she walked. Wrapping the ends was hardly conventional if she had to go into a fight quickly...

She sighed slightly, picking up the weapon and turning it with practiced fingers, giving it a few good spins within the small area of the room and touching nothing. To her, the weapons that passed through her hands had their own lives. Every single one had its feel, its energy, and its wants and needs. All the staves she knew had a need to be graceful and deadly in battle, a want to be in good hands... and understanding those two things was what allowed her to treat such weapons more like an extra limb, not a tool.

With little choice about the blades she went and found the roll of bandages that Lee kept in his bathroom. Usually such rolls were used on ones hands during training to protect cuts or to keep from getting new ones, and the same principle applied as she wrapped up both dangerous tips of her weapon... only she was protecting herself from what was getting wrapped up. Once she'd put excessive padding on both ends, she carefully slipped it through the back of her bra, pulled her pack back on, and got moving.

It was early morning still, the sun shedding more and more light on Konoha as Loor came upon the gate that would take her out of the village for the first time since she arrived. Well... the first time along the path. She was the first one there too, and after negotiating it with her stave she managed to sit down and cross her legs, waiting for the boys to arrive.

Jariya was first, wearing a brown pack with his long white hair fluffed over it. He seemed a bit grim to be going on a trip to look for an old friend, but Loor reminded herself that the new Hokage kinda depended on this little road trip, so perhaps his serious expression was fit for the moment.

"Mornin'." Loor greeted quietly, sighing.

He glanced at her, giving a slight nod. "Morning. I'm surprised with you Loor, you're actually early. According to Gai, you don't hold too much of a reputation."

She chuckled lightly. "It was a little tough to sleep." She said this more as an excuse than an explanation.

"Nervous?"

"No." Loor drew a playful grin up onto her face. "I wasn't the only one in the bed."

She knew _exactly_ which direction Jariya's mind would take that statement, and she could see it on his face that he thought exactly what she wanted him to think.

"Aren't you too young for that?!" Jariya growled, glaring at the girl like any other somewhat old adult hearing about an underage person getting into things that they shouldn't.

She giggled. "If I'm old enough to be peeped upon then I'm old enough for sex!"

"Okay... I think I walked in at the wrong time..."

Both Loor and Jariya looked over to Naruto. He had just walked up with an off-yellow pack on his back, a slightly skeptic look on his face. Loor at once colored up. She hated it when two of her faces collided. Jariya mainly knew her perverted bad-girl side, but she'd been pretty open with Naruto, who knew for a fact that Loor was VERY far away from scoring with any guy because she didn't trust men generally and would rather fight them than have sex with them. Of course everyone knew the tomboy, which was a cover for any questionable behavior.

"Heh, hey Naruto!" Loor got up, snickering. "Don't worry, I was just messin' with Jariya."

"Stupid kids..." Jariya muttered, shaking his head. "Oh well, you two both ready to go?"

"Heck yes!" Loor and Naruto gave at the same time, getting enthusiasm off of each other. "Let's go!"

Jariya took note that the second Naruto showed up Loor's lack of energy was completely gone, along with what had been becoming a snippy attitude. He had been hoping Loor being around would have calmed Naruto down a little, but it would turn out he doubled his trouble.

Loor seemed slightly in awe as they walked out of the huge doors in the equally huge wall of Konoha, into the wooded road they'd follow till they got to the second wall.

Maybe she was just in awe of the fact that she was leaving... and she was going to be gone for a while. She actually walked backwards for several yards till the road bent a little and trees blocked her view of the doors. Once that happened, she rounded forward and put on a bit of a smile. "So, Jariya, what's our first stop?"

Obviously, the name of any town would mean nothing to her, but it was nice to know.

"Otafuku. It's a little residence village about ten kilometers out of Konoha." He looked over his shoulder at her. "We should be there by this afternoon... maybe this evening if we stop too much."

Loor blinked a couple times. They were going to be walking _all _ day?

She didn't complain, quickly trotting ahead of the boys and only stopping and waiting when either Naruto or Jariya called to her.

* * *

"We're leaving?"

Gaara had been lying on his bed like he had since he and his siblings had arrived in Otafuku under the cover of darkness. Now, still prone on the mat of blankets on the floor, his head was slightly lifted from the pillow to watch Temari scuttle around the small room, removing any trace of them having been there in the first place. Later on she'd use a transformation on herself to look like someone she was not and check out of the room.

"We have to. It's just a chance, but Kankuro says he heard about a group of shinobi leaving Konoha bound on a research and retrieval mission today. Personally, I think it's a shot of good luck that we sent him back to spy on the village to see if they had any inkling we were still here." Temari sighed, sitting down on her own area of blankets and shaking her head. They had to buy new packs and stuff to sleep on when they got to Otafuku, being forced to leave everything they hadn't been wearing the day of the chunnin finals.

"But they could be looking for someone else..." Gaara reasoned a little. He hated getting up at all. Pain was something he was avoiding at all costs, but there was a steady ache where the giant hole in his shoulder was. Thing was... he still had some form of pride. Pain was one thing to avoid, but so was being carried. The question was which was worse. If they were going to leave Otafuku it would mean walking on to the next village, outpost, or city.

Walking. Twelve or more hours of it. Knowing Kankuro he'd want to be running.

"No... Gaara..." Temari sighed. "Kankuro came back as fast as he could because he saw the team that left." She looked a little pained, packing up her bed stuff into her pack. "Loor, Naruto, and Naruto's sensei. Who else would that group be looking for?"

He reacted with a slight twitch of shock. "Loor...? But, she wouldn't..."

"I know she wouldn't, Gaara... but we don't know. We can't know. Maybe they tortured it out of her about your condition, or people just noticed you were too close to dead to head straight back to Suna, but all we really can know is that they're after someone, and I'm not hanging around for capture to find out who."

Gaara let his head back onto his pillow, resigning to the fact that they would have to move. Still, it seemed so strange to Loor's personality, what she'd shown him. Surely she wouldn't lead a capture party to him, would she?

His raw addiction made him feel anger and betrayal, but his heart, something she had managed to touch on more than one occasion, made him think more of her extreme loyalty than her habits of deception.

And her tearful good-bye.

"Do you think she knows what happened at the finals...?" Gaara asked absently, thinking out loud.

Temari, who had been packing Kankuro's stuff for him, glanced up. "Hm?"

"Do you think..." Gaara's eyes slowly drifted to his sister. "Anyone knows... or told her what made me do what I did?"

"I doubt it Gaara." She went back to work, her brow knitted. "You, Naruto, and Shikamaru where the only ones there for it, and I doubt they really understand what happened in there. I mean... you had to explain it to me and Kankuro twice for us to get it. Knowing Naruto he'll have let it slip from his mind by now and won't mention it till something reminds him."

He closed his eyes. So that was it. That's why Loor was doing this. She thought... that he really had recessed completely, thought that his insanity was back for good, gone only for the few seconds she had managed to sob out a good-bye and 'I love you.'

The only way she'd do this is if she thought he was the monstrosity he was when they had met... but whether she was after him to help him or after him to put him out of misery... well, to put it in Temari's words, it was best to play it safe and not wait around for capture to find out.

Slowly, despite the physical pain, Gaara forced himself to sit up off of his blankets and pulled himself across the floor to his sister. "How can I help?"

Temari glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. "Gaara, you should save your strength till--"

"The pain is not that bad... after it's been there for a while."

This would be one of the few lies Gaara had ever told. The truth was that his physical pain was nothing compared to the thought of being betrayed again, even if he wasn't sure.

His elder sister still seemed a little skeptical. She'd noticed a major shift in Gaara after his fight with Naruto, starting with the fact that the boy was apologizing a lot more. If she got on his case for anything he'd be saying sorry so fast it could make a person's head spin. The other thing was that her preteen brother had been talking about as much as he'd been saying sorry, going from uttering no more than ten words in a day in her and Kankuro's direction to whole paragraphs at a time.

It was like that fight with Naruto, coupled up with Loor's confession, had flipped some sort of light switch in Gaara's mental state. He was far from normal... but he was making an effort.

"I guess you can clean up your own stuff. Though I'd really rather if you'd just lay back down."

Slowly, he backed off of what Temari was doing and turned upon his own things. He had no pack, Temari's was big enough to accommodate both his and her stuff. Sitting at the edge of the blankets, he started folding them best he could with his limited range of movement thanks to the damage on his shoulder.

"So... where will we go next?"

There was silence as Temari got lost in thought and folding blankets. After a few seconds she sighed. "Maybe a few towns down. I hear there are big festivals all around. If we go into a big city with a festival going on, we should be able to disappear pretty effectively till we can make the rest of the trip home."

"How long do you--"

"I don't know. You've never been hurt before. Knowing Shukaku he's probably helping you along in healing... it shouldn't take much longer."

Gaara hefted a slight sigh, finishing a sloppy folding job and sliding it over to Temari, who chuckled lightly and unfolded the blanket to do a neater job.

* * *

"Mmm... Oh, Kiba, you're already awake."

"Yeah. How you doing, Fury?"

"You don't wanna ask that question... what the heck is this...?"

"Well, it looks like you have mail... though I can't think who would be sending you letters, much less know where you are."

"Well I can't really pick it up, so would ya mind?"

"Alright, alright, you don't have to give me the evil eye over it. Okay... you want the scroll or the leaflet first?"

"The scroll was on top."

"Scroll it is. Okay... Dear Fury... out of the village... recon mission... yada-yada-yada... Signed... Kabuto?"

"Kabuto?"

"Yeah... apparently him and his team were sent to track the sound forces after they retreated from Konoha to make sure they went all the way out of the Fire country... at least, that's what the letter says. Funny, he's still a genin. He shouldn't be sent on missions like that. Maybe they were short handed after the attack."

"Well it's nice for him to get a chance to prove himself... and it's nice of him to send me a letter to tell me where he is. I was beginning to worry about him a little bit."

"Fury... How can you be sure he wasn't one of _them?_ "

"Kiba, don't tell me you're suspicious too?"


	10. Vanishing Act

Yep. Another one. I'm getting in as many as I can.

OWTF

**No ownage.**

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Ten- Vanishing Act**

Loor had calmed down and started walking with the group when they got to the first road sign. The road they followed was a worn dirt drive with deep ruts from carts and the like. Every time they passed a fork there would be a sign. This arrow would point that way and tell you the next city, this one the other way to another city, and so on. The first one they came to was just outside of Konoha's limits where the forest finally receded and left them to walk on flat grassland with spots of woods that came and went.

Naruto surged up to the first sign, quickly reading it out loud.

"A-ta-fu-ku...? Ten kilometers..."

"_O_ tafuku." Jariya corrected, passing by the blond boy and looking up to see that Loor was tapping her foot in the dust, looking impatient.

"Arg! I knew that!" Naruto protested, quickly moving again. The trio came together, the younger blonds flanking the taller white adult.

"Hey, Jariya, is Otafuku like Konoha with the shinobi and all that?" Loor questioned, hooking her thumbs under the straps for her pack, trying to keep her pace even. She had an issue with taking on someone else's speed, since her range consisted of stop and sprint.

"Not at all." The toad sage shook his head. "Konoha is a _hidden_ village, formally the Village Hidden in the Leaves." He gestured behind them. Obviously the Leaf village got its name from the forest and rugged land that was all around it. "Only hidden villages train shinobi, who are dispatched to other towns and cities as they need them. The hidden village in a country, like our country is the Fire country, is also the seat of power."

"Oh..." Loor sighed, kicking the ground a little. She had actually thought fondly about meeting more interesting shinobi, but it looked like that was not going to happen. "Oh well. So the Hokage rules over the whole Fire country? Is that pretty big?"

Naruto leaned around Jariya to look critically at Loor. "You're more clueless than _me_ , Loor! Believe it!"

Jariya shook his head, pushing Naruto back in line. "The Fire country is big enough. There are bigger countries, like the Wind country where you would find the Village Hidden in the Sand, and smaller ones like the Land of Waves."

"What's their hidden village?" Loor gave, curious.

"Mist!" Naruto jumped ahead of the other two, walking backwards. "On this one mission, the one my team was gone on when you and your sister arrived, we had to fight a guy from there, and I kicked his ass!"

In this zealous statement Naruto managed to get his foot caught in one of the ruts in the road and almost fell on his butt, quickly hopping back into his place and walking normally again, trying not to fall down. Loor started laughing at him and Jariya shook his head.

Booth teens took interest as Jariya chuckled slightly under his breath, his eyes looking up at a passing cloud but not really seeing it.

"Pervy sage, what are you laughin' at?"

Jariya, seeming to be unhappy about being brought back to earth, looked down at Naruto and shook his head. "Not much. Just thinking about the Forth."

Loor's ears perked, as did Naruto's. "What about him?" Naruto questioned.

"You're a lot like him, Naruto. And I would know, seeing as the Forth was my student once."

Naruto suddenly stopped walking. Jariya paid no mind to it, but Loor slowed and looked back as Naruto seemed utterly aghast at something Jariya had said.

"...I'm... like the Forth...?"

Two seconds later Naruto ran ahead of the group.

"_WHOO-HOO!!" _

It was Loor and Jariya's turn to stop and stare as Naruto started doing something like a victory dance.

"If I'm like the Forth then I'm gonna become Hokage for sure! Believe it!!" Naruto took a flying leap into the air, basically a jump for joy, but started grousing about something as he landed.

"_Oh ew!!_ I stepped in dog crap!!"

Loor giggled slightly, shaking her head. "Smooth move, _Hokage-Sama!"_

Jariya seemed royally irked by the whole display. After frowning at Naruto's crazed behavior for several seconds he snapped a little. "The only things you've got in common with the Forth Hokage are your stubborn nature and that blond hair of yours!"

Loor glanced at Naruto, who didn't seem to hear his sensei, and back at Jariya. "Wait, blond and stubborn? Why didn't anyone tell me I qualified?"

Jariya looked down at her and managed a small smile. "Well, now you know."

* * *

"Hey guys!!"

Kiba's two teammates, Hinata and Shino, looked up as the dog boy called them out and waved at them. Behind Kiba, walking on her own two feet for the first time since the fight, was Fury. Both arms were in slings so she didn't have to bother with them, but she looked happy to be on her own two feet again. Funny that she was still wearing the blue robe from the hospital, having just put her pants on under it.

"K-Kiba!" Hinata managed a wave. "Do you know where Kurenai sensei is?"

Kiba glanced around as he got close to his team, frowning. They were gathered up at the training grounds, where they usually were every morning, yet their sensei wasn't there. "No... I don't. I've been at the hospital for the past few days." He then looked at Shino. "Hey man, walking so quick again? How you doin'?"

Fury, puzzled, cocked her head to one side. "Huh?"

Shino, who was usually very quiet, took the job of explaining for once. "During the finals I went after the Sand Shinobi with a few others and fought Kankuro so Sasuke could go after Gaara. I was poisoned by Kankuro's puppet." He then looked over to Kiba. "And the poison was removed by my father's bugs, so I am well."

"No kidding?" Kiba gave a small grin. "Good thing everyone came out okay. But I was revving for a mission today and now Kurenai isn't here!"

"You're not the only one missing a sensei!"

Fury turned to a voice she didn't know. Kiba seemed to roll his eyes a little. Akamaru, who had been in Kiba's hood all this time, put his nose down into the lining of the hood as if to protect his nose from a strong smell. Shino, as usual, didn't react, and Hinata waved to the three people who were walking up.

Leading the trio was a girl Fury didn't like the looks of. She was too thin to be true with platinum blond hair and the perfect 'like OMG' voice if you know what I mean. Her bangs were swept to one side and the shorter part of her hair was up in a bun.

"Hi Ino..." Kiba almost groaned in distaste.

Ino, as she was named, was dressed in a sleeveless purple midriff that was trying to make it look like she had breasts when she didn't, white wraps around her stomach so the skin didn't show, a purple mini and wraps down to her knees on her legs. She walked like she was strutting a stage, and Fury felt she wasn't going to like this girl one bit.

Behind Ino were two boys. One Fury already knew, Shikamaru, the lazy genius. The other she didn't know. He was like the perfect opposite of Ino.

The boy was... very round, dressed in a green short sleeved coat with a white shirt under it with a red symbol on the belly and green shorts with wraps on his legs peeking out. At the time, the round boy was stuffing his face with chips. On his cheeks, which seemed to puff out naturally, were red swirls that were either tattoos or inked on. His hair, brown with copper tones, was pushed up by his headband on his forehead.

Yes, the chubby was a ninja.

"Hey Kiba." Ino seemed much more cheerful in her greeting. "You guys have any idea where Asuma sensei is? He was _supposed to_ meet us near the Hokage estate but he never showed. I mean, I_ totally_ know about his little romance thing he's got going with Kurenai sensei so I thought you guys might know."

"Ino," The chubby spoke with a half chewed chip in his mouth, causing Fury to look away. She couldn't stand people eating loudly or doing rude things like talking with their mouth full. "You didn't know they were seeing each other till that prank at the chunnin stadium."

"Shut up Choji!" Ino snapped at him, raising a threatening hand. Some might wonder how much power she could put behind the toothpick she called an arm. Fury's thought was 'not much.' "I _so_ saw it before! I even sent flowers to Kurenai for Asuma when he didn't have the courage to!"

Kiba cleared his throat, getting Ino's attention before she started a fight with Choji, which was the name of the round kid. "We don't have any idea where Asuma is. Actually, we were just wondering where Kurenai was."

"Aw man!" Ino sighed, shaking her head. "I really didn't want to mind the shop today... but if Asuma doesn't show up I'm gonna have to head back."

Fury glanced around the group of teens and pre teens, the wheels in her brain turning. "Um... if two of the sensei are missing, I think that's not a coincidence. Maybe we should go looking for the other sensei? I mean, if we don't find them we can start to panic, but if we do they probably know what's going on."

Ino's baby blue eyes turned sharp on Fury's mousy face, only now taking notice of the girl. After a few seconds of sizing her up, Ino put a hand on her hip. "And you are?"

"Fury. I'm a friend of Kiba's."

Ino's eyes dashed between Kiba and Fury for a few seconds, noted how close Fury was standing to him, which was very, and took a smile on her face. "Oh, a _friend_ , I see. I've never seen you around, Fury."

"I was at the chunnin prank."

Ino shrugged. "I didn't notice you." Her voice had more than a touch of arrogance in it. Thankfully, before Fury could attempt attacking Ino without any hands to attack her with, Shikamaru broke in.

"Fury's idea is actually a good one. We should go looking for the other sensei. If we don't find them... The next best guess is their homes."

"Well since it was Fury's idea she can walk up front with me!" Ino gave this like it was some sort of huge privilege. Before she could protest, Ino had taken hold of Fury's shoulders and started pushing her toward the path that would lead to another one of the training areas. "Shikamaru, who's the next closest sensei?"

Shikamaru, falling in line with most of the guys at the back, Hinata moving to walk with Ino and Fury up front, shrugged. "I don't keep track of that."

"I think Gai sensei is." Fury said, earning another searching look from Ino. "Loor usually trains with him, so I know the way pretty well."

"Is Gai that weirdo who wears that skin tight green suit?" Ino asked, sounding a little disgusted as Fury started to lead the way. Fury nodded at her, and cringed a little at Ino's voice. "OH _EW!_ We have to go talk to _him?_ Why don't we just go looking for Kakashi? He's so much cooler."

"Yeah right!" Choji called up, his mouth actually clear for a few seconds. "You just wanna go see Sasuke!"

"Shut up fat boy!" Ino snapped back at Choji, which set him back on his bag of chips, looking a little hurt. "Ugh I can't believe I have to put up with him and Mr. Lazybones as a team!"

Fury was about to make a comment on how if Ino was a little nicer she might not be so irked with them, but kept it to herself. She noted that Choji looked a little hurt when Ino said what she did. Instead of saying anything, she tried to think of the places she'd seen Ino before. She'd seen her at the chunnin prank, that was for sure...

But there was something else.

"Did you visit Loor in the hospital, when she had broken ribs?"

Ino looked over at Fury, cocking her head a little. "Loor... Loor... oh that one girl who started punching nurses? Yeah, I did."

"Thought so. You gave her a lecture on health food... She's my big sister."

"Your sister?" Ino glanced Fury up and down again. "You two don't look anything alike."

"Well it's not by blood. We just got to be such good friends we started calling each other sisters."

"Oh my god, that is so cool!" Ino flashed a smile. Fury was starting to earn acceptance, though she wasn't really sure she wanted it. "I wish I had a tight buddy like that. But... what happened to you?"

Fury noted that Ino had to be talking about her damaged arms. "The invasion." Fury said simply, turning her nose away from the path to go bushwhacking towards the clearing where Gai's team usually trained.

"Oh. Yeah... I was pretty scared during that thing, with that huge monster that showed up outside the village and everything, but I guess Sasuke managed to save the day anyway seeing as he went after it and came back all right!"

"Sasuke...?" Fury shook her head. "Naruto was the one who summoned the other big thing out there and fought the monster. He was the one who saved the village."

"_Naruto?"_ Ino laughed. "That _loser?_ You're kidding me, right? No way he could have done that. He was probably cowering the whole time while Sasuke kicked some big-bad-rear!"

"You're really obsessed with Sasuke, aren't you?" Fury felt her brow knitting. Thankfully, before Ino could start a speech on how great Sasuke was, they had arrived in the clearing they'd been aiming for.

"Fury!" TenTen was the one to greet the group. Neji was also standing in the area.

Gai was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's your sensei?" Ino asked before Fury could.

"We do not know." Neji shrugged. "Though knowing him he probably lost a bet to Kakashi that caused him to be late."

"It wouldn't be the first time." TenTen huffed. "Why ya asking?"

"Because Asuma and Kurenai are missing too."

Neji and TenTen glanced at each other. "That is odd." Neji finally said.

"Yeah, we're going to go look for Kakashi next." Ino stated this as if it had been her idea. "You guys coming with?"

"I don't see any harm in it." TenTen said, falling in line. Neji traveled to the back of the pack to avoid speaking with anyone.

For the trip over to the area where Kakashi's team trained Fury was forced to listen to Ino go on a long rant about how hot Sasuke was. Sadly, it was impossible to get a word in edgewise and the girl's voice was impossible to ignore or tune out.

When they finally arrived at Kakashi's area they found only one shinobi present, and it wasn't Kakashi.

It was Sakura.

The pink haired wonder sat by herself, looking worried, leaning her back to one of the vertical posts set in the ground. Ino, who had an annoying habit of taking the lead, took two steps in front of Fury before speaking.

"Hey, Sakura, where's your sensei?!"

Sakura, seeming to be shocked out of thought, looked up at Ino with a frown. "I... I don't know. And Sasuke has gone missing too."

"Heh, you probably scared him off, Billboard Brow!"

Sakura growled. "Ino Pig!" She returned. "We didn't even have training today, but I thought I might find Kakashi here. But... he's not. And I saw Sasuke earlier. He was really... well, frantic, and looking for Naruto."

"Weird... that's four sensei missing and Sasuke running around like he's on to something." Fury muttered. "As for Naruto, he's not in Konoha anymore. He went on a trip with Jariya, and Loor went with them."

Sakura sighed heavily. "Thanks Fury... though I'm just gonna worry more now."

"Ino! Shikamaru! Choji!"

"Kiba! Hinata and Shino! There you are!"

The two addressed teams turned to see two of the four missing sensei advancing. Asuma and Kurenai, looking perfectly normal. The rest of the large group of kids also looked, hoping the sensei brought answers with them.

"Kurenai sensei!" Kiba called, sounding a little peeved. "Where were you?"

"Kakashi took sick." Asuma answered for her. "We had gone to visit him. Gai is still there. You know how he is. Sorry to keep you all waiting."

"It's already lunch time..." Choji whined, his team of three separating form the rest.

"Then we'll take a lunch break to start off today." Asuma said this almost apologetically to his team as he started to lead them away. "Just pick the place you wanna go guys, I'll buy."

Kurenai was also pulling Kiba and his team away, and Fury went to go be near Kiba again, happy to get away from Ino. Still, something sat wrong in her brain. The sensei being away had been explained, but...

"Where's Sasuke?" Sakura asked before Fury could say it.

Kurenai looked back at Sakura and shrugged. "You guys don't have training today. He could be anywhere."

Fury looked back at Sakura, who had just been blown off, and watched as she dispersed slowly with Neji and TenTen.

Something was still wrong here.


	11. Puppy Love

I think it'll be one more after this… we'll see.

OWTF

**No ownage.**

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Eleven- Puppy Love**

At noon Loor, Naruto, and Jariya had stopped at a shrine along the road. Loor, when she expressed curiosity about the little building, learned from Naruto that these shrines were often found along the road and were places where people were supposed to pray for a safe journey. Loor had to wonder what god her two companions prayed to, and then remembered for a second that she hadn't prayed since she left home.

The shrine was a stout structure of dark wood, probably ten feet wide and five feet deep and ten feet tall. The front was open, held up by four evenly placed beams, a small altar within, and two large bells hung within the pitched roof with ribbons of green and white hanging down to ring them. To Loor, the bells looked like giant jingle bells like those you see around Christmas.

The shrine was perched upon a hill within one of the areas of trees that had grown up among the long grass. Jariya went up the steps that led to the shrine and set himself down in the grass, rummaging through his pack for something to nibble on. Naruto and Loor had a race to the top of the steps, getting tangled at the top and landing in front of the little shrine in a knot of limbs.

Naruto had also packed something to eat, and though Loor felt her stomach growling she refused when Naruto offered some of the rice ball, or _Ongeri, _ that he had packed.

Sitting under the shade of the shrine, Naruto broke off a piece and forced it into Loor's mouth when she became distracted by a sound in the woods. She made an indignant sound, looking at Naruto and quickly swallowing the slightly sweet rice before glaring at him.

"What the hell was that for, Whiskers?"

"You gotta eat somethin', believe it!" He grinned at her, quickly chowing some more of his _Ongeri _ before shoving the remaining half of it into her hands. "I've seen you pass out during training before, and I'll bet its cause you don't eat half of the time!"

She chuckled lightly, biting into the rice ball without further protest. "I guess so, but just don't shove your fingers into my mouth next time. I have no idea where they've been!"

Naruto glared at her for a second before laughing and getting up. He shed his pack for the time being, looking over at the cloth hanging down from the two bells in the shrine. Without thinking, he ran up and led his ADHD take over, yanking lightly on one cloth and quickly rushing over to the other to try and get them to ring at the same time.

Jariya glanced up as Loor joined, manning one bell while Naruto played with the other.

"You two are going the right way to get cursed." He said distantly, munching on whatever he had brought out of his pack.

Naruto shrugged, backing off from his bell for a second and performing a few hand signs faster than Loor's eyes could track. In a few seconds he had made two shadow clones; solid copies of himself. He lifted one onto his own shoulders to tug on the bell's string from a higher place, and the other one went over to Loor and offered up his shoulders for her to ride on. She chuckled, taking such an offer for once and laughing a little as the shadow clone lifted her up to the ribbons again to pull on them. Obviously, they were annoying Jariya.

"Hey, Pervy sage!" Naruto called, which caused an irked look to crawl over Jariya's face. "What was the Forth like?"

Jariya let his head turn a little more, giving a small smile over the old days. "He was a pretty good student, but that goes without saying. A good master always makes a good student, so you should feel privileged to have my valuable training! Of course, back then the Forth was just a kid. He got more stubborn as he got older."

Loor and Naruto traded a skeptic look, along with the two shadow clones. "...The Forth... a kid?" They whispered to each other. Loor had only seen one example of a Hokage and she could never imagine him young.

Jariya, who couldn't hear their low voices, laughed a little. "Back then, I was a young buck myself!"

Loor found herself leaning her weight on the ribbons for the bell. One again, all four in the shrine gave a skeptic and slightly frightened reply below Jariya's hearing. "... _Young buck...?" _

Suddenly the ribbon slipped up and out of Loor's hands, startling her and making her look up with a violent twitch. This sent the shadow clone below her off balance to see that the bells had come loose from their holdings in the roof and Naruto with another clone was also falling the ribbons still secure in his hand. All four started to tumble down the stairs of the shrine with the bells and the ribbons, the clones dispelling along the way.

Jariya shook his head and sighed as the two teens landed at the bottom of the little hill, all tangled up and unable to get free between each other and the ribbons. "You're going to piss someone off up there."

"Shuddup Pervy sage!!" Loor yelped, trying to get away from Naruto and punching him in the face on accident.

Jariya growled. Usually, Loor didn't use that name for him. He watched the two as they kept struggling with each other, not bothering to help. The bells made him think back to his own training, which had been a good forty years ago. The bells... heh, Sarutobi had pioneered that type of training. At least, Jariya thought Sarutobi had started it. Could have been his sensei, whoever _that_ was.

"Hey, Naruto, you trained with Kakashi, right? Did you get the bell training?" Jariya asked.

Naruto, who had wormed half way out of the tangle, looked up at Jariya. "Uh.. yeah. I was the one who got tied to the stupid log..."

Jariya smirked a little. "You too, huh?"

Loor glanced up at Jariya, holding still for a second. "What??"

"Oh, nothing, nothing." Jariya waved it off. Yeah, he had been tied to the log. Both Orochimaru and that flat chested version of Tsunade had gotten bells, but Jariya had tried to cheat and lost by default.

Loor giggled a little, shaking her head. "Me three..." She muttered, kicking a foot to flip a loose end of ribbon out of the knot, pushing the upper half of her body out of it. Naruto had managed out now and was helping her. Once they were both back on their feet they set to fixing the whole mess, carrying the untangled bells back up and hanging them up again with the help of shadow clones, giving both bells a ring before deeming the shrine safe. Loor backed off, but Naruto held up for a second to bow his head and put his hands together.

_Now there's something I haven't done since I've left home..._ Loor mused to herself, and half considered bowing her own head for a moment. On the other hand, she prayed to a different God than Naruto. It felt wrong to do a Lutheran thing at a Shinto shrine. Instead, she filed her regret in the back of her mind.

Jariya called to them, at the bottom of the steps to the shrine, and Naruto lifted his head. "Coming!"

Loor's energy had been sapped, following in a slower gate than Naruto and not jumping any of the steps, looking back at the shrine as if it stood for something that actually had meaning to her.

She huffed a little, trying to shake the sudden sadness she felt, but it wouldn't leave her till she realized what it was. Its icy fingers kept pushing at her, threatening to make her talk to herself if she didn't figure it in her mind.

Then, when her mouth gaped to whisper, she got it.

"Ma..."

The most religious person of Loor's family; her mother. So faithful in God, so sure such a being existed, and the member of the family Loor related to the most.

Loor's mind began to ponder as they got back to the road, falling in line behind the two men, dropping her head so her eyes could track her feet and the heels of those ahead of her.

She wondered something to herself... how had she managed to pick her life up so quickly here? She was hardly out of the hospital before she felt in control again, in her usual confident way. Didn't kids who lost their parents spend a couple of weeks feeling lost and alone? Well... Loor always felt alone, but it was confusing her to no end.

And Fury... how had Fury managed?

_Kiba's family adopted her, remember? _

_**Oh yeah... forgot about that. But what about me? How could I just drop them so easily and go on? Alone? ** _

_You had your issues Loor, or maybe you forgot the way you always do. You spent your first week in and out of mental breakdowns... but once you started finding people to hang close to regularly you got a good foothold again. _

_**So I replaced them?! How wrong is that?? What happens when I go home and... and they're not there?** _

_You'll make it. You always make it. Always. _

"Loor?"

Suddenly, she lifted her head. Apparently she had faltered and fallen and hadn't noticed. Naruto was squatting over her and Jariya was standing and looking back, impatient.

"H-hi Naruto..." She muttered, pushing herself out of the dusty earth. "I... uh... tripped."

"We noticed!" Naruto started laughing, standing up and offering his hand. "You get lost in your head again?"

Naruto was used to her behavior.

"Just a little." She snickered, getting up without his hand, leaving him there with his hand out like an idiot. "C'mon Whiskers, we don't wanna take too much time getting to where we're going."

Jariya sighed, shaking his head. "Says the girl who spent the last few moments face down in the dirt."

She did her best to laugh it off, but her mind lingered on her internal conversation

_You'll make it. You always make it. Always._

She worried that just this once, that wouldn't be true.

* * *

"And... _pull!" _

A small-ish log was launched into the air at the sound of Kiba's voice. Either Shino or Hinata threw said log, as they were trading off, and the log was directed at Fury at the other end of the training grounds. The logs moved fast, thrown very hard to fly towards their target.

Fury, her arms useless, watched the incoming missile of wood with one leg straight under her and the other with just a toe hardly on the ground. She counted under her breath, watching the shadow on the ground more than the log in the air. At the right moment she suddenly kicked herself into the air and her lax leg kicked out so that the hard block of her shin met the log to kick it off to the side. The kick would swing her body around the in the air, facing the same way she started when she landed, going to one knee to adsorb shock and then standing straight again. "Ready!" She shouted back.

At her feet, there had to be more than forty logs that had already been thrown. Early on in this practice she had been getting hit more than she'd been hitting, but she was getting the hang of timing now. Her legs burned, as did her toes from when she hit with them instead of her shins, from which logs would often split into kindling.

It was Hinata's turn to throw, and Kiba turned his attention to her.

"And... _pull!" _

The log was launched, and Fury watched the incoming again. In the back of her mind, she thought about how much higher her jump had gotten. After all the chakra training she could clear her own height twice if she wanted to...

Which at the moment, she did. With her timing she gathered chakra and used it to jump, kicking the log _up _ as she flipped backwards, landing on her feet. It wasn't as graceful as most of her landings, but at least she didn't land on anything that was already broken.

"We're out of logs over here." Shino said, and Kiba sighed.

"Oh well. Good job Fury!"

Fury laughed slightly, taking a small bow before limping up to the rest of the group. Kurenai, who had been supervising, also came up.

"Yeah... you actually survived something that came off the top of Kiba's head." Kurenai teased, holding Akamaru at the time, petting the puppy into submission. This wasn't very hard to do.

Fury shrugged. "It wasn't that bad... though I think I might have broken a toe."

Hinata yelped slightly, dropping to her knees to examine Fury's feet.

"Hinata you don't have to-- Oh _ow-ow-ow!!" _

"It isn't too bad..." Hinata mused to Fury's foot, pulling on the toes one at a time. In some cases she felt a bone move back to where it was supposed to be, but toes were a small matter as long as they were corrected quickly.

"H-H-Hey...!" Fury tried to pull her foot away but Kiba went to hold her still along with Shino. "Hinata, that hurts!"

"It will hurt more if you do not let her do basic first aid." Shino said in his usual calm way.

Hinata stood up as Kurenai started to laugh a little bit. "Done! I-I'm sorry Fury-chan, but it should help..."

Fury sighed a little, having been biting her lower lip. She really didn't have much of a pain threshold. The only way she'd managed to kick the logs in the first place was that the first few deadened the area so she couldn't feel anything beyond that. "It's okay... I'll survive."

"You'd better." Kiba chuckled as he and Shino finally let go of her and let her stand on her own again. Fury tested both feet and still felt the need to limp but not as bad as before. Her feet and shins were going to hurt for a few days.

"I think that's enough for today, guys." Kurenai said, handing Akamaru back to his owner. The puppy barked, wagging his tail and crawling into Kiba's hood. "I've got some stuff to get to, but I want one of you, or all of you, to go find Asuma's team and tell them they're training with us tomorrow."

Fury, who had been looking down at her feet, snapped her head up to look at Kurenai. "What??" She'd met Ino once and didn't look forward to doing it again.

"Several teams are going through basic training for new genin members in their teams that filled in the holes left by people killed in the invasion." Kurenai grew a bit stern. "So current genin teams are coming together for some time so there's more room for the extra teams and their new members."

"So it's not _just_ tomorrow." Shino was putting things together. "Asuma and his team will be with us for a week or so."

"Maybe even a month or two." Kurenai corrected. "We don't know how long it's going to take the higher level teams to train in their new members."

Kiba, not hiding his distaste, rolled his eyes. "_Great._ Training with those retards."

"K-Kiba!" Hinata protested. "Don't be so mean!"

"Yeah Kiba, that is a bit rude." Fury nodded a little, but in the back of her mind she was pumping her fist going _Yeah, seriously! I agree with Sakura! Ino-pig!_

"What?" Kiba defended. "I mean, Shikamaru is lazy, Choji isn't interested unless it has something to do with food, and Ino is just... well, Ino!"

"Kiba!" Kurenai snapped. "Keep this up and you'll find yourself suspended from duty."

Kiba whimpered slightly, lowering his head and growling something under his breath. Fury felt the urge to pat the dog on the back, but hadn't a hand to do so with.

Instead she looked at Kurenai. "I'll go and tell them." She volunteered.

"Thank you Fury." Kurenai sighed. "I thought I was going to have everyone draw straws."

"You want me to come with?" Kiba asked as his two teammates wondered off, along with the sensei.

"No, I'll be okay alone for a little while."

Kiba thought for a second, and then nodded.

Fury noted a sudden grin that spread across his face.

"Alright, meet me back at our apartment, okay?"

Fury had started to say 'okay' but he had darted off before she could do so. A bit confused, she gave a slight start after him but then thought better of it. She knew better than to trust that grin on his face, but there was nothing she could do about it.

Instead she turned herself to the path and got walking back into Konoha. The sun was just now starting to sink away from its peak in the sky, the time about three in the afternoon, casting the village in a favorable light. People were very busy in the village, though most broken roofs and walls had been patched up. Now people were fixing other problems caused by the invasion, and cleaning up other things they'd been putting off before hand.

It was tough to find anyone standing idle, but Fury managed to find a teenage boy munching on a rice ball watching some of the older men fix a flower box outside a window with an old woman overseeing them. Quickly she asked about the members of Asuma's team, if the boy had seen them.

He'd seen only one of them, Shikamaru, probably heading out of the main village limits to go watch clouds on one of his favorite hills. After that, Fury didn't take off for him at once. She'd find out where they all were and then go after them. Anyway, knowing Shikamaru, he wouldn't be moving any time soon.

After asking various villagers she find out that Choji had already head home since his family usually enjoyed an early dinner and that Ino was minding the flower shop her family owned for the last shift. Ino was the closest, so she was the one Fury went to first after gathering the information she needed.

The flower shop was near the river that ran through the main village, a nice enough place. Fury worried it wasn't right though, since the sign on top had the family's last name on it. On the other hand, Fury didn't know if there was more than one flower shop in Konoha, and if this one was wrong she was sure the people inside could direct her to the right one.

Walking in, she was assured this was the right place.

The inside of the shop was a display of every flower a person could imagine, kept in pristine condition. It was a riot of color all based in green stems and leaves. At the end of this display was a counter, the person behind it tending to restocking a display of seeds and bags of dirt.

This person would be Ino. She looked strange out of her usual shinobi outfit, wearing a teal T and peach pants that went just past the knee. Over this she wore a white apron. Had Fury not known better, she would have thought Ino someone from home.

When the bell above chimed, Ino greeted without turning around.

"Hello! Welcome to the Yamenaka flower shop! If you wait I will be with you in just a second!"

"I'm not really here for flowers." Fury said, trying to sound polite.

"Hm?" Ino's head started to turn, one of her light blue eyes locking on to the person at the door. "Oh, Fury! How are you?"

"Okay." Fury started into the shop, passing the displays of flowers. All the different smells caught up in her nose. To her, it was pleasant, but she had to imagine what a number it would do on Kiba's nose. "Kurenai just wanted me to tell you and your team that you guys are training with us tomorrow."

"We're training with your team?" Ino frowned a little, glancing back at the seed display and then abandoning it, turning to face Fury and leaning on the counter. "Okay, that sounds like it could be some fun."

Fury nodded. "Well, I gotta go tell the rest of your team so I'll just be out of your--"

"I can tell them." Ino cut her off, smiling a bit now. "And I have a question for you."

"Hm...?" Fury could almost sense that Ino was looking for gossip or material for such. It was certainly her type.

"Are you and Kiba... y'know, sweet on each other?"

Fury smiled a little, blushing. "You could tell, huh?"

Ino's ego swelled. "I'm a romance expert, Fury. I can _always_ tell! Just like your big sister is sweet on that Lee kid, gods only knowing why. But hey, I guess the freaks need love too."

Fury felt the slight urge to correct Ino, but held it back.

It would be more entertaining to watch Loor set her straight later.

* * *

"Kiba!"

"The door's open, Fury!"

"Yeah, but I can't open it!"

"Oh shit, yeah! One second here!"

"Thank you... Geez I had to knock with my forehead for cryin' out loud."

"Heh, sorry about that. Sorta had my hands full with the puppy."

"The puppy...? Akamaru is in your hood, Kiba."

"Not him, Fury. Go into the bedroom, you'll see."

"Kiba... I know you. When you're grinning like that I generally don't trust you."

"Just _go._ "

"Okay, okay alright, but--"

"I told you so."

"Kiba... there is a very small puppy on the bed."

"Yeah, I know. She's yours."


	12. Trouble In Otafuku

Holy wow… my editor (mom) didn't make any marks on this one. It either means she was too involved in the story to notice anything or I actually made it through without any major grammical error…

Miracles do happen.

OWTF

**No ownage. See you punks next time.**

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Twelve- Trouble In Otafuku**

Otafuku city was not fortified like Konoha was. There was a wooden gate over the road leading into the city, but the buildings were how you could tell you had entered an area with people.

Once into this city, Loor had to look in every direction in a slight confusion. There was a festival going on, and there were street vendors _everywhere. _ This man selling candy, that one masks, that one carny games to play, and all shouting over each other! She was quickly overwhelmed and found herself moving to walk between the guys, secretly clutching the back of Naruto's coat and the end of Jariya's pony tail.

She _hated_ cities. She had really hoped Otafuku was going to be like Konoha; big but no so busy. Well, she was wrong and it was making her nervous. Big buildings crammed together, people yelling and running to and fro, the streets crowded to all hell, she couldn't help a bit of sweat on her brow.

"We need to find a hotel..." Jariya muttered, glancing up to see the sun sinking. They had made it there in full light but that light wasn't going to last very long. "And we'll stay here for the night and get a move on tomorrow."

"Pervy sage!" Naruto snapped. "What about training? You promised."

Jariya rolled his eyes, lowering his gaze to Naruto to glare at him. At least, he tried. When he did, he felt resistance on his hair and twisted his head to see Loor on the verge of panic attack. "Whoa, Loor? You feel okay?"

Loor nodded a little bit, mute. This action made Naruto a little antsy. Loor wasn't mute very often.

"You sure Loor?" Naruto questioned. "Hey, why are you holding on to my coat?"

"Must be claustrophobic." Jariya sighed.

"N-No..." Loor whined. "I just don't like cities..."

"City-phobic?" Naruto asked in his usual bone-headed way. It caused Loor to crack a small smile and nod.

The trio moved a bit faster to find a hotel for her sake.

The hotel they stopped at was a nice place, and Jariya was quick in renting a room while Loor clung to Naruto like a little kid, averting her eyes from the rush a few feet away from the door. Naruto was really worried, seeing as such behavior was so out of character for her. Still, everyone had to have a weak point. Apparently cities were just one thing Loor wasn't great at handling.

Jariya called Naruto over, a copy of the room key dangling from his hand for him. Naruto came over as fast as he could with Loor clinging the way she was.

Once Naruto had his key in hand, he looked back out of the hotel and into the streets, and something caught it eye. "Whoa... She's pretty."

Jariya, following Naruto's gaze, quickly found the subject. There was a woman standing just outside the hotel's entrance, posing it seemed. She wore a purple dress that was low cut and short skirt, a braided band of black around her small middle between the busty part of her figure and her large hips.

Loor looked up, but found nothing truly special about the woman. Black hair, pale skin, average height... she was surprised Jariya was staring.

It was at this point that the woman seemed to realize she was being watched, her eyes tracking over to the two boys who were paying quite a bit of attention. Her reddened lips drew in a small smile, flicking a hand through her hair and turning her body to face them, posing once again.

Loor sank back a bit as the males started to salivate.

The final nail on this coffin was that the woman winked, blowing the guys a kiss. Jariya was hooked and Naruto had a stupid grin on his face. The boys turned to each other. "She was lookin' at me, right? She had to be lookin' at me!" Naruto said, his speech rushed.

"Are you kiddin'?" Jariya gave back. "Young things like that like the older men." Jariya was grinning still, shoving the key into Naruto's hand. "Go up to the room, get some chakra practice in, and get yourself and Loor to bed."

Naruto felt himself twitch. "Wh-what?! Oh, I get it, it's grown up time and the kiddies have to go to bed! That's not fair Pervy Sage!"

Loor bit her lip, edging back to the guys and tugging on Naruto's coat. Naruto, taken off of his rant by the outside force, looked at her. She jerked her head towards the stairs that led up to the rooms and then looked him in the eye. She had calmed down a bit since they had gotten in the building, but the sooner she got into that hotel room the happier she was going to be.

Naruto looked between her and his sensei, sighing. "Alright... alright. C'mon Loor."

Jariya at once went to the lady and Naruto led Loor upstairs, grumbling about his sensei.

The room had two beds, a hard wood floor, and no bathroom. Loor didn't really care, quickly diving onto one of the two beds and digging her head under it. It smelt like any other hotel room; clean.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at this display and shut the door, pocketing the key and shaking his head. "Loor, what in the world is there to be afraid of in a city?"

She didn't withdraw her head from under the pillow for a fairly long time. When she did, it was with a heavy sigh that said she was calm for now.

"Nothing." She admitted. "It's an irrational fear... I know that... but I just get really nervous. I've never been a city gal."

"You looked like you were about to snap, believe it!" Naruto slipped his shoes off, crawling onto the bed she'd leapt onto. "Konoha is almost as big as this place, and you didn't freak out there."

"Konoha is different." Loor found herself sitting up, slipping her coat off and putting it on the pillow she just had her head under. "It had places for me to calm down... the forest, mainly. Konoha may be big, but a lot of that size isn't in the main village, its in the farms and forest. Places like that... I can live with. As long as I have somewhere to be alone. But when it's crowded and loud, I just can't stand it."

"Oh..." Naruto shook his head. "Hey, can I steal one of the pillows from this bed?"

She cocked her head to the side. "Uh... why?"

"Well, that Perverted Hermit is gonna want a bed, I might as well set up on the floor."

She rolled her eyes. What was with guys and always offering to sleep on the floor? "Naruto, I've slept on the floor for the past month and some I've been spending at Lee's apartment. That's my territory." She mimicked him, "_Believe it!"_

"But--"

"But nothin'." She got up, grabbing one of the pillows of the bed and going to the small area between the bed and the wall, taking her pack off and pulling the blanket out of it. This deflated the bag most of the way, and Naruto laughed at that fact as she set up her bed.

"You didn't bring much with you."

"Don't need much." Loor shrugged. "Don't have much." With that she also took the weapon off of her back, pushing it under the bed. Apparently this lodge was used to seeing shinobi so they weren't yelled at for having weapons.

"Your pack looks empty. Was that blanket all you were carrying?"

"Nope. You remember those leg weights Lee gave me? The last set for them is in there."

"The last set? That means you've got..."

"That's right, ninety pounds on either leg. I hardly notice it anymore when I'm walking and I never take 'em off."

Naruto laughed. "All ya need is the green suit and you'd be just like Bushy Brow, believe it!"

"Bushy Brow?" She laid back on her blanket. "Is Lee okay with that nickname?"

"He's never complained about it."

"He's not very good at complaining." She sat up, crawling back onto the bed. "So, Naruto, you said you were gonna teach me some stuff. Seeing as Jariya ain't here I say we might as well do _something _ to pass the time."

"Oh, right!" Naruto nodded. "Well, you wanted to learn the walk on water thing, but we can't really do that without water to practice on... oh, I know, I can teach you the Sexy Jutsu!"

Loor cocked her head to one side. "Eh?"

"Yeah, and maybe after that I can try and teach you how to do shadow clones! Believe it!"

"Sounds awesome." She nodded, giving a small smile. "Where should I start?"

Naruto hopped off of the bed, and Loor followed his lead. Naruto directed her to a stance, feet spread and relaxed. "The Sexy Jutsu is just a transformation meant to startle or subdue someone! I've used it to get into the woman's bathhouse, talk Jariya into training me, and scare the life out of Iruka sensei! The whole point is to change yourself into a better than average form of the opposing gender."

Loor smirked. "I see... this shouldn't be too hard, seeing as you're the one who taught me how to do transformation in the first place."

"Yep! Now then, the first part about sexy jutsu is doing research on the other gender!"

She laughed slightly. "I've already done plenty of that."

"Eh?"

"Naruto, remember, I'm practically Jariya in a younger female form. You're looking at probably the only female that peeps on men regularly. I know _plenty_ about the male figure."

Loor wouldn't mention the great deal of pictures she had looked up on the Internet.

"Heh, sorry, forgot about that." He chuckled, shaking his head as if to say 'Yeah, just what we need, another one of Jariya.' In the most sarcastic way possible. "Anyway, you take your stance, gather your chakra, and perform the transformation like I taught you before. Give it a shot."

She nodded a little bit, sighing. It had been a while since she'd done anything with chakra. Honestly, she didn't like using it... it felt like using a magic of some sort, cheating. Still, she was the one who asked.

She closed her eyes, focusing in on herself. It didn't take long to feel the warmth of her own chakra bloom into her chest. Forming the hand seal, making a cross out of two fingers from either hand, she morphed that chakra around the form she wanted.

The form she had thought up was not that different from herself. Still blond, and the hair probably just as long (she found long hair sexy.) Green eyes, tan skin, no body hair aside from the legs and a little navel hair... yes, nice, very nice. Feeling the assist of the hand sign she spread her energy around this figure of a sixteen or seventeen year old boy in her mind with all the perfections she cared to add.

She opened her eyes and grinned at her teacher, doing the next step to finish it. With an extra helping of her chakra she pushed the chakra form out to her own skin, envisioning herself wearing it like a second layer.

Smoke exploded out from her as the transformation happened, grinning as she appeared within the cloud in the form of the nude male she'd been creating her in her head.

"How's that?" She asked in the voice she'd thought up for the form, smooth and mysterious.

Naruto glanced the transformation up and down, watching the cloud dispel and then walking around the transformation with the sharp eye of a teacher looking for flaws. Now and then he'd give a poke or a prod to make sure the illusion was solid.

Finally, he smiled and nodded. "Good job, believe it!"

Loor sighed, letting her chakra go and changing back into herself. "For once, I get something in just one shot." She chuckled. "When it comes to jutsu, that never happens. My luck must be changing, eh?"

* * *

Sasuke was frantic.

The Uchiha boy had been running for the past hour or so, since he found out that the infamous Itachi Uchiha had paid a visit to Konoha.

Itachi Uchiha... Sasuke's elder brother... the one who had killed all of Sasuke's clan.

The one who was currently after Naruto.

Why Sasuke's elder brother was after his teammate, Sasuke had no idea. All he knew was that Itachi had nearly killed Kakashi sensei while in the village, looking for Naruto.

Sasuke knew that if Itachi got to Naruto, Naruto was as good as dead. And Loor was with him as well, meaning she'd probably try to protect Naruto and get herself killed as well.

No! He wasn't going to see anyone else die! He was not going to lose anyone else!

Sasuke's legs stopped suddenly, coming just inside the gates of Otafuku. This was the closest city to Konoha... they had to be here. He'd search the place from top to bottom, and find them, and...

And he would finally get revenge on his brother for killing their family... he would kill Itachi.

He took off again, going from hotel to hotel, demanding from each and every person he came upon if they'd seen an old white haired man traveling with two blond kids.

Time and again there was nothing. No one. Hotel after hotel there was no group fitting such a profile.

He was running out of hotels to check, but pressed on. He was beginning to lose hope till he came to one that wasn't too far from the gates of Otafuku. At once, he made the same demand of the person behind the counter that he had all the others.

"Did you see an old white haired man with two blond kids check in here??"

The man behind the counter had been surprised by Sasuke intensity, but still answered his question. "Uh... well... Actually, yes, I think I did at the shift change. Though--"

Sasuke wouldn't let the guy ramble on details. "What room?!"

The guy seemed less startled and a bit more frightened by Sasuke now, but still bent his head to his book of names and rooms. "Um... just a sec... oh here we are, room one oh one. Just up the stairs and on your left."

The man looked up, and Sasuke was already gone. He was up the stairs, around the corner and knocking on the door with the right number.

He felt a slight sigh come out of him as he heard footsteps on the other side of someone coming to open the door.

He had made it before Itachi... he had made it in time.

* * *

Both Loor and Naruto glanced up when there was a knock at the door.

"That was quick..." Loor muttered. "He get dumped already?"

"Knowing Pervy Sage he said something stupid and got smacked for it." Naruto sighed, getting up to get the door as the knock came again. "I'm coming, I'm coming!"

Loor was getting up too now, curious as Naruto fumbled with the lock and the person on the other side knocked for a third time.

Finally, the door came open.

It wasn't Jariya on the other side.

The person on the other side was a dark figure that neither Loor nor Naruto knew. He was tall with black hair covering all but his eyes and the bridge of his nose and a large black cloak covering him from the nose down so his face was completely obscured. All that really could be seen were obsidian eyes looking down, locked upon Naruto.

He wore a headband of a shinobi, oh yes, and it was with Konoha's symbol... with a cut through it, as if someone had taken a kunai knife to it and slashed the symbol.

Loor imagined that this couldn't be good.

Naruto stood before this black-cloaked man, the designs of red clouds on the cloak shining in the sun from the windows behind him. Naruto was frozen by the black gaze of this man, not retreating, not moving, not attacking, not even breathing.

The man's black eyes transfixed him.

"You should come with me." Was all the man said, his voice of cold authority. By the voice he was a young man, probably still in his twenties, but the cloak went to the floor and hid all his features so one couldn't be sure.

Loor gaped as Naruto actually took a step out of the door.

"Naruto!" She protested, rushing over to grab him. Before her hand got to him she found someone else's hand clasped around her wrist. The first man had moved aside to show he had a companion wearing a cloak much like his own.

The second guy... was really weird. He looked like... well, a fish gone man to be honest. The hand holding Loor's wrist was blue, along with the rest of the guy's body. He had a sick grin on his face full of shark like teeth, beady eyes, and short spiky blue hair. He also wore a headband with four diagonal wavy lines, and like his black haired friend there was a cut through the symbol. If Loor stared at him for long enough she was sure she saw gills on his neck.

"Itachi, you mind if I take care of this one?" The fish guy asked.

"Kisame, I would prefer we save violence till we have to use it."

Naruto was still held by Itachi's gaze, silent, almost dead to the world. Loor stared in horror at him as Kisame, the fish guy, pulled her out of the room. Itachi shut the door to the hotel room, not breaking away from staring at Naruto. "Follow us quietly," Itachi said to Naruto. "And we won't hurt you."

Naruto didn't respond.

Kisame, lifting Loor a bit off of the floor, snorted. "This won't be so smooth if he tries to run... maybe we should shave off a leg or two. I can carry him."

Itachi didn't stop looking at Naruto, and said nothing. Kisame seemed to take this as an okay to do what he had asked to do. He let go of Loor, smacking her across the face when she tried to attack him, throwing her back into the wall.

Knocked into the wall, now seeing Kisame's back, she realized that fish boy was carrying a sword almost as long as the man was tall and as broad as a person's hand with the fingers spread out. Strange that this weapon was wrapped up much like the blades on Loor's stave were, but she didn't think on it. Loor wanted to bellow, but instead got up. This... Kisame person was reaching for this sword.

This Kisame person was going to cut Naruto's legs off.

She reached for the sword's hilt to grab it first, her eyes focused on the little skull that was on the end of that hilt.

Next thing she knew, Itachi's foot was in her stomach, and that guy had one _hell_ of a kick. She felt herself throw up a little bit into her mouth, spitting it as she flew, land on her back several feet down the hall and skid on the hard wood flooring.

"You're an annoying little kid." Itachi said to her, looking down at her. How he had gotten to stand over her so quickly, she had no idea. "Stay out of this."

She growled at him, looking back to where Naruto stood. He was... making hand seals as Kisame lifted his sword! It was still wrapped up but she felt the impending danger, but she also felt Naruto's growing amount of chakra. She opened her mouth to yell at him, getting to her feet again, ignoring Itachi.

Itachi was not one to be ignored. Loor found herself with Itachi's hand on her neck and her back to the wall, her feet not touching the ground. "Do not worry about your friend. We will not kill him... yet."

"What do you want with Naruto?!" She was kicking out at him, struggling, avoiding his gaze. She feared that those black eyes would turn her into the lame duck it did Naruto.

"We don't want Naruto... we want what's in him."

Loor looked over at Naruto again in dismay as she felt Itachi cutting off her air. _This isn't going to take long..._ She growled to herself, stilling her kicking feet. Less movement, less oxygen usage, the longer she lived. She could see from where she was something had gone wrong with whatever Naruto had been trying to do.

The wraps had come off of the sword... it was blue... it looked like... scales... her vision was fuzzy... darker...

And then... nothing.


	13. Akatsuki

Okay, this IS the last one till next week guys. I thought I'd give you one more instead of leaving you all on that cliffy... THANK YOU SO MUCH TO THE PEOPLE WHO REVIEWED!! I feel passionate again! You people make me so happy.

Oh yeah, for those who care, there's a pole on my profile. Ya might wanna go check it out. It has to do with this story. Thank you to the person who suggested that, you know who you are.

And without gilding the lily and no more ado,

OWTF!!

**Dude... you think I own this? I THINK NOT!**

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Thirteen- Akatsuki**

Naruto was horrified.

He didn't know for sure, but he thought he just saw Itachi strangle Loor. He had dropped her once her head dropped, her body shutting down from lack of oxygen, leaving her on the floor. Kisame was gloating about his sword, Semehada, and its ability to eat chakra. It was what kept Naruto from summoning Gamabunta on these two. Semehada had sapped him.

Now he stared these two in the face, backing up from Kisame's sword as the scales on it seemed to swell and sink, writhing, making a strange sound.

"Itachi!"

The black haired male stiffened a little, looking over his shoulder.

At the end of the hall, over where Loor had been dropped, stood another black haired boy. He actually looked very much like Itachi when you thought about it, just much younger.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelped. "What are you doing here??"

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted. "Get the hell out of here! You can't handle these guys!"

Kisame had also looked now, distracted from Naruto. "Itachi... this little snipe knows you?" He asked, referring to Sasuke.

Itachi nodded a little. "He's my... little brother."

"Little brother? I thought you killed them all."

Sasuke growled, glaring at Itachi. "All but me!"

Naruto, even at the other end of the hall, could see the red flood into Sasuke's black eyes. He had just activated the sharingan, the ability of his family. Without even seeing Itachi, he was sure that the same had happened to him.

Itachi separated from his companion and stood to face his little brother, not reacting as Sasuke started in on a particular jutsu.

He held one hand to the floor, glaring up at his elder brother, clutching his wrist with the other hand, and gathering his chakra into his open palm. It became a physical thing, bright, blinding, sparking, like a little lighting storm in his hand.

It began to make it's tell-tail sound; the high-pitched squeaks that sounded like bird song.

Sasuke had in his hand the Chidori. The very same jutsu that had punched through Gaara's impenetrable sand shield and wounded the boy for the first time in his life. The very ability that nearly destroyed the demon Shukaku in his smaller form.

The very thing Sasuke had learned for the means of killing his brother.

He bellowed as his palm turned away from the floor and he ran at his brother, the Chidori ripping a rift in the wall beside him as he ran, running at his brother who was yet to react to this development.

Closer, and Sasuke brought his hand, the Chidori, in front of him to get Itachi with it.

Closer, and Itachi was yet to move.

Closer... close enough to see the whites of each other's red sharingan eyes.

Uchiha eyes.

There was a yell of pain, but not from Itachi. No, Itachi still stood, but he had one hand out into the sleeve of his cloak, one hand that led to the wrist of his little brother.

Itachi _caught_ the Chidori.

This wasn't over yet.

Itachi twisted Sasuke's arm before switching the grip to Sasuke's neck, lifting him up with ease and looking him in the eye. Itachi's eyes and Sasuke's eyes differed slightly. The sharingan had a very distinct look; a red iris around a black pupil, black marks within the iris like tear drops. You could say the more of these little black marks in the eye, the higher level it was. Sasuke had two showing, but Itachi had three.

Sasuke found himself in his brother's gaze before he could save himself. The three marks made a sudden spin around Itachi's pupil as he activated part of the ability.

A second later, Sasuke started screaming and crying, falling to the floor. Technically, he wasn't actually awake, and soon he'd fall into stasis, but for now he was fine sobbing on the ground.

"Cruel." Kisame commented. "Using Tsukuyomi on your own brother."

Tsukuyomi. An attack one can only be vulnerable to if they look a sharingan user in the eyes. Itachi had dragged his brother into a mental world of torture using it, making Sasuke feel whatever Itachi wanted him to feel, be it pain or sorrow or insanity, for what felt like seventy-two hours to Sasuke, but was really no more than a second.

People without a sharingan would have died or simply ended up with their brain completely broken. Sasuke, part of the family, would be recoverable... by the right people. It was the same thing that, back in the village, had caused Kakashi to fall ill. He had a sharingan eye, though he was not part of the family. He survived... barely.

Itachi and Kisame turned back upon Naruto. He hadn't taken his chance to run, and now he was completely alone.

* * *

When Loor woke up, she knew she had missed something big. Her first clue was that she was still alive. That in itself was amazing, seeing as it didn't take a rocket scientist to realize her and Naruto's chances of survival were slim to none.

She was leaned up against a wall, and her hands flew to her neck to make sure she was okay. Her neck was clear, but the pain told her it was bruised. Glancing around she took stock of the situation around her before her mind tried to figure out what happened.

Okay... the two cloaked guys were gone. Sasuke was there. Jariya was there. Naruto was there. Gai sensei was there. There was a very long burnt trench in the wall as if someone had burnt through it. There was a hole in the wall at the far end of the hallway. Sasuke was passed out, sitting like she was. Jariya was bleeding from the nose as if someone had kicked him in the face. Naruto looked scared out of his wits but otherwise okay. Gai was looking over Sasuke.

Wait a second... Gai? Sasuke? What were they doing here?

Loor licked her lips to ask that very question.

"Gai...? What in the world did I miss...? What is Sasuke doing here?"

Loor felt the gaze of all three conscious males track over to her. At once, Naruto came over giving her a hug.

"Loor! I thought that Itachi guy killed ya!"

She laughed slightly, patting Naruto's back. "Take it easy, whiskers. What's with the two extras?"

"Itachi is Sasuke's elder brother." Jariya answered. "Sasuke's been after him since Itachi slaughtered the Uchiha clan... Sasuke came to kill him."

"And Gai...?" Loor questioned in turn.

"I was there when Sasuke found out that Itachi had been in Konoha and followed as back up. Those two men... they're part of an organization called the Akatsuki. In total there are nine shinobi in it, all filed as missing nin, most S-ranked criminals."

Gai turned away from Sasuke to see Loor's blank face. She didn't understand what those last two terms meant.

Jariya explained. "Missing nin are shinobi that leave their village without permission or notice. Higher level shinobi are not only dangerous on their own but carry secrets of their village that could be devastating if other villages got their hands on them. As for S-ranked... we rank criminals like we rank missions. D level is like road side bandits, C are other shinobi of a low level, B would be shinobi of a chunnin or jonin level, A is jonin and ANBU, and S... they're as bad as they get. S ranked criminals like Itachi and Kisame could take on whole villages on their own and probably never get touched. S-ranks you'll see in the bingo books, which are lists of dangerous shinobi."

Loor slowly nodded, her brain catching up with everything that was going on. She admitted that she _did_ want to meet new and interesting ninja, but she would rather the type that _didn't_ want to kill her.

"Why did they want me...?" Naruto asked after a little bit of silence.

"They didn't." Jariya sighed. "They wanted what was in you. The demon."

Gai was the next to heft a sigh, looking Sasuke over once more before looking to Loor. "Do you feel hurt?" He asked.

She shook her head a little. "I'm fine. Itachi only kicked me once and tried to strangle me. What about Sasuke?"

"Not good. Broken arm, couple of ribs, and a lot of psychological damage by the looks of it. He won't wake up." Gai got up, shaking his head slowly from side to side. "When students get hurt... it makes me miss having the medical specialist around."

"I know." Jariya said. "That's why we're looking for her."

Both Loor and Naruto looked up at Jariya. New info!

"_That's _ who you're looking for?" Gai asked, looking surprised.

"Yes. The one with the word 'Gamble' on her back... Tsunade-Hime."

Most of that night was spent with Jariya negotiating with the owner of the hotel about who was going to pay for the damages done to the building, but it would seem after Jariya wrote a hefty check all was well. Amazing enough, their room had not been damaged through the whole ordeal. Gai had done some basic first aid on Sasuke's worst injuries, got a room himself, and set to go back to Konoha in the morning. Loor and Naruto had a fight over it, but eventually Loor asserted herself enough to keep her spot on the floor. The next morning they all met Gai at the Otafuku gate to wish him a good trip back.

Loor was wearing her weapon and her pack again, everyone all packed up and ready to spend another day on the road. She and Naruto had been pep talking each other all morning, talking about getting lots and lots of training in so neither of them would freeze up like that again if Itachi and Kisame came back after the ass-kicking Jariya dished out the day before.

"Hey, Naruto, you still gotta teach me the walk on water thing!" Loor was saying as they came out of the city, regaining any energy lost because of her city-phobia thing.

"Right after I teach you shadow clones!" Naruto gave back, grinning. "That way you can put your taijutsu and ninjutsu together for some awesome skills, believe it!"

Gai, who was waiting for them, smirked at the two enthusiastic kids and the slightly annoyed looking Jariya. Gai stood with Sasuke on his back, rearing to go back to Konoha but wanting to say his good-byes. "Naruto! Loor!" He called as they got close.

"Hm?" The blonds seemed to answer in unison.

"Seeing you two so swept up by adventure is one of the best parts of being a sensei. I've got somethin' for the two of you. It should help you with your training. It helped Lee become strong too."

Gai put one hand into his green jonin vest, looking for something in the pockets. After several seconds he produced...

A green suit much like the one he was wearing and the one Lee usually wore. Naruto and Loor were much enthused, but Jariya looked like wanted to burn the thing. After a few seconds Gai produced a second one for the female of the group. The two suits were no different from each other; as they were one size fits all.

"Awesome!" Loor was grinning. "It's so light... I thought it would be heavier than this."

"Nope!" Gai was grinning at the two kids. "Not only light but it's also splendid at maintaining moisture and allowing air to pass through. It's also designed for maximum movement. It's perfect in form and has beautiful curves!" Gai had become a walking commercial. "Wear it while you're training and you'll see improvements all over the place... soon enough, it'll become addictive and you'll find yourself wearing it all the time!"

Naruto became in awe of the green spandex in his hands. "Wow, really?! I guess Bushy Brow's fashion sense ain't that bad."

If anyone had taken notice, Jariya was probably laying on the ground twitching.

The goodbyes were said and Gai got on his way. Both Naruto and Loor put away their new clothes in their packs for now, grinning at each other and chatting away about how when they got the time they'd try the suits out and go for a spar or two.

Jariya started leading the way to the next city, trying not to think about how bloody goofy Gai looked in that stupid suit of his. There had to be a way to talk Naruto out of thinking it was cool.

* * *

"Schizo?"

Fury was grinning, having just introduced her new puppy to both Kiba's team and Ino's. "Yep. That's her name. I've always wanted to name a dog Schizo."

Ino still looked skeptic of the female cream and brown puppy perched on Fury's shoulder. Schizo seemed quite happy where she was, her little tail wagging and the ears that marked her as a 'dud' sticking straight up as opposed to the breed norm of having ears flopping down like Akamaru. "Schizo?" She asked again, walking up to the pup and reaching out a hand.

Schizo took notice of this hand and growled loudly at Ino, snapping when her fingers got close.

"Schizo!" Fury scolded. "That's not nice."

The puppy turned attention back to her owner and gave big pleading eyes and a whine which at once made Fury soften and nuzzle her seeing as she had no hands to pet the dog with.

It was the first day of training with the two teams together, and Fury already knew she'd be sitting out on this one. Kurenai didn't want her getting hurt, and the log thing the day before was more than enough. She'd spend a day off, give her toes a rest, and keep an eye on Schizo and her big brother Akamaru.

Kiba, although sad that Fury couldn't join in, was hyped up.

"Alright everyone." Kurenai got attention as Fury moved off to the side with the puppies. Schizo was already living up to her name with having random mood swings toward people and Akamaru. One second she'd be all friendly to the people with the perfect puppy look with big baby blue eyes. The next second, those eyes would flash green and she'd start snapping at everyone.

Akamaru did his best to keep his little sister under a leash, so to speak.

"Kiba, hand me your smoke bombs." Kurenai commanded.

"Eh?" Kiba asked. "Whadda ya want them for?"

Asuma, present behind Kurenai, answered. "Today's training is how to deal with smoke screens so you guys don't panic when others use smoke bombs on the missions you go on."

Shikamaru, who was sitting on the grass, looked up at his sensei. "What..? Geez what a drag... anyone who panics in a smoke screen is an idiot."

Kiba laughed a little, grinning. "Yeah. Even I can handle that without getting riled up. This is lame."

"You guys speak for yourselves!" Ino snapped. "I have _no_ idea how to handle a smoke screen, so shut up!"

Kurenai sighed. "Thank you Ino. Kiba, the bombs."

Kiba, grumbling, finally gave up several black balls to Kurenai from his weapons pouch. "Be careful with 'em, I make 'em myself."

"I'm well aware of that, Kiba. I believe I taught you how."

Kiba growled, turning his head to the side. "Whatever."

"Alright." Asuma took charge. "What you six are going to do is run into the woods. Kurenai will be out there, waiting for you. You get to her, come back. First one back wins. I'll be out there too tossing these things around trying to confuse you guys. I might also jump into the clouds and start combat, or act like one of you. You might as well fight anyone you come up against."

"How long do ya fight 'em for?" Kiba questioned.

"Till they run." Asuma answered. "Or you run. Either way."

Fury, to the side, sighed a little bit. It sucked that she had to sit out like this...

This training actually looked like fun.


	14. Addiction

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Fourteen- Addiction**

Ino was antsy.

Training had already started, and she was doing her best to creep through without running into anyone. Kiba, the dog, had taken off and started crashing through the woods as fast as he could. Typical of a guy like him. At least she was sure she wouldn't run into him, seeing as he was far ahead. She usually would have cared about coming out first to possibly impress people, but there was no one worth impressing around at the moment. As far as she knew Sasuke wasn't in the village right now, and Sakura wasn't training with them so there was no reason to assert herself.

She just didn't want to end up in any smoke clouds.

Ino found herself moving a bit faster as she went further into the woods, worrying about triggering one of Asuma's traps along the way, that worry making her go from walking to trotting to darting through trees.

It seemed the second she broke into full sprint that she found herself suddenly in a purple and black cloud.

She yelped, skidding to a stop and whipping her head around to try and get her bearings. She left her eyes open to the smoke, waving her hands around randomly like the girly gal she was. Her hands did nothing but sweep the smoke toward her instead of away.

In a few seconds her eyes started to sting and she whined loudly, waving her hands again at her eyes, seeming to forget that she would not wave clean air to them but more of the strange smelling smog. As her eyes teared up she dropped to the ground and started crawling among the wood at her feet to escape the cloud and get going again. She had to keep blinking, her eyes hurting more once she got to the fresh air.

They wouldn't stop tearing till she got to Kurenai, and wouldn't stop hurting till the training was over. She had finished dead last.

* * *

Fury huffed slightly, watching people come back from the training to meet up with Asuma, who was waiting for them. He stopped throwing smoke bombs and sat waiting at the finish line a few moments before Kiba came out of the woods. Of course he was first to finish, being the person who made the smoke bombs for his own advantage in fights. When he got to Asuma he went over to Fury to sit and get attacked by both puppies present.

"Whoa, whoa, guys, take it easy!!" He yelped at Akamaru hopped onto his head while Schizo jumped into his lap.

Fury laughed slightly. "I think they just want someone who can actually pet them. I still got another two months before this arm is going to be okay... when did they say my hand would be okay?"

"They want you to keep the splint and bandages for another week and five days." Kiba said, picking Schizo out of his lap and holding her above him, smiling. "So in about two weeks you'll have one hand back."

"What am I gonna do till then? I can't just stop training, but Kurenai doesn't want me working with you guys. She's afraid I'll get hurt."

"We'll figure something out." Kiba put Schizo back down into Fury's lap, petting the puppy and making a strange dog-like sound. Fury assumed it was a command to stay seeing as the puppy sat in her lap and started nuzzling her. Fury leaned down a little and rubbed her uninjured arm on the puppy's head, avoiding her hand at all costs.

Kiba chuckled, but then glanced around. Fury looked at him, seeing him with his head cocked like he'd heard a funny sound.

"Kiba, what's up?"

"I..." He shook his head. "I thought I heard something."

"Oh." Fury nodded a bit, laying back so that Schizo could crawl on her. Akamaru came to join her. Fury could bear with it, even if Akamaru currently weighed at least twice his sister. Kiba got up as Shino and Hinata arrived at the same time, Shikamaru with them.

After a while, Fury sat up and speculated upon the two teams in front of her. Choji had arrived too, leaving Ino out in the woods alone.

It would seem the two teams stayed away from each other at the moment, but that wasn't what she focused on. She could look at Kiba's team and see them all talking about how it went, even Shino giving a few words to the training experience. She could hear Kiba complaining about it being too easy, Hinata's stuttering voice agreeing with him, and Shino just nodding along.

Not so with the two in Asuma's team. When Fury's jade eyes looked over to them she saw that they weren't even talking to each other. Shikamaru looked like he had settled on the ground for a catnap, and Choji had pulled out a bag of chips and started working at it.

They didn't talk. They didn't even look at each other.

What happened to what Kakashi taught her and Loor? Fury's body still remembered the bell training, where Kakashi gave them till noon to get a bell from him. Whoever got the bell got lunch, and the loser got nothing. The whole point of the thing was that you had to work together in order to get the bell and accept that only one would be rewarded. The reward did not matter; the teamwork did.

She saw no teamwork with Asuma's team.

Had she been a sensei, she would have sent these three back to the academy.

Ino was the last to bust out of the woods, panting and looking like she was crying a bit. She didn't look bodily hurt at all, but her screwed up face made a mention of pain.

"Not bad everyone." Asuma said, chuckling. "You survived."

Suddenly, in a blast of air, Kurenai appeared. Fury shuddered. She knew that Kurenai had used dashing to get there so fast, but it still looked as if they appeared out of nowhere. She still sometimes felt as if she were in the middle of a Harry Potter novel.

Kurenai looked reproachfully at the two teams in front of her. "It was an okay job... some of you could have done better."

"Eh?" Kiba asked, cocking his head. "I was the first one through!"

"That's expected." Kurenai shrugged. "They're your bombs. But you should have used your awareness and ability to help your teammates. Ino here took so long to reach me and was..."

"Last to get back." Asuma completed when Kurenai looked at him.

"Exactly. The best strategy when you know something like this is going to happen is to band together by some form of contact or another so there's no way to get attacked by one of your own. The fast are slowed down, yes..." Kurenai gave another stabbing look to Kiba. "But the slow ones speed up."

Kiba snorted, along with all of Asuma's team. "Whatever." seemed to be the unanimous answer.

Fury sighed... Looks like Kiba had a teamwork problem too.

* * *

"Hey, Naruto, what's wrong?"

Loor had asked this question quietly, walking in line behind Jariya and beside Naruto. She had been very worried about him for the fact that since they left Otafuku he had become uncharacteristically quiet. He looked like he had been locked up in his own mind like Loor would retreat from the world to talk to herself within her own skull. Of course, prodding from the outside broke this spell on Naruto and he glanced up at her, frowning a bit.

"Eh? Oh... what?"

"What's up?" Loor gave, feeling her concern wrap around her like a blanket she wanted to share with him. He seemed so desolate, so cold, which was an odd state for Naruto to be in. It must have been the intense effect of trauma from his loneliness while he was small still getting to him that let him be that way.

"Oh... it's nothing big."

Loor wanted to bust out laughing at him. She had the urge to smack him over the head and go 'yeah right!' This urge was properly ignored, replaced by her need to heal him of whatever damage suffered by the encounter with Itachi and Kisame. She was sure it was rooted in that.

"Naruto... c'mon, I'm your friend. I know when something is wrong. I can see it like the whiskers on your face." Loor's tone was trained to be caring.

Naruto's blue eyes gazed forward, not looking at her just yet. Slowly, his frown parted to speak.

"Those guys... that organization... the Akatsuki. They... they didn't want me... they wanted what was in me. You passed out before they admitted that, but they're after the fox. They want the Kyuubi."

Kyuubi. Loor had heard that before; Naruto's demon. The nine-tailed fox. It was the mass of chakra that allowed him to summon something as massive as Gamabunta at such a young age, the thing in him that caused him to heal quickly...

And now the reason the Akatsuki had marked him.

"What the hell do they want that thing for?" Loor raised her eyebrow. She had never made contact with the Kyuubi cause it was sealed within Naruto, not free to ravage him, as Shukaku was Gaara. Still, her experience with demons was not pleasant.

"I don't know." Naruto sighed. "I mean... I've met that thing... up here." He tapped his head. "He's not nice... and he's not too hard to impress. Not a great opinion of humans."

"Eh?"

"When Jariya was teaching me how to summon, I had to figure out how to use Kyuubi's chakra. I had used it before... but in those situations it just kinda... took over. When I was in a really bad situation, someone I cared about had been hurt... I just lost it. When I got really pissed off, Kyuubi backed me up with his power. It's not like Shukaku, I still think for myself." He shook his head, taking a deep breath. "But when Jariya figured out that I only made contact with Kyuubi in life or death situations he shoved me off a cliff."

Loor looked up at Jariya and saw the old man's shoulders shaking a little bit to contain laughter. "Jariya!" She snapped in disapproval.

"It worked, didn't it?" Jariya snickered.

"It did, but you could have just made me feel like I was gonna die, not actually try to kill me!" Naruto snapped.

"Awe, finish your story Naruto!" Jariya shook his head. "It all came out to the better."

"It was still weird." Naruto turned his attention back to Loor. "When I was falling, I suddenly snapped into my own head... at least I think that's where I was. It was so strange... like a bunch of hallways, all dark and confusing... but wondering about I found this one room, it was huge! One whole wall was this big gate held closed by a prayer slip, the type of paper slips with spells written on them that priests in legends use to exercise demons, and a little water on the floor."

Loor stared at him for this description, her eyes wide.

Once again she questioned her own nature within her own mind, how she saw things. It seemed both Naruto had a way of existing within their own head to connect with their demonic sides. She had no demon, but simply herself to speak to in her head.

She wondered, but knew better. She was not like them, but perhaps she wanted to be.

Naruto took her look in a different way, looking down. "You don't believe me..."

She realized her wide eyes might have translated to spacing out. "Of course I believe you!" She gave, grabbing his arm, getting his attention again. "It's just incredible!"

He looked at her again, making eye contact and smiling a little at their connection was brought back. "Heh, I'm silly." He laughed slightly. "Anyway, behind this big gate... well, I couldn't see too well, it was really dark, but I could see two huge red eyes behind it, way high up. What they belonged to had to be gigantic! That was him... He thought I had come to sacrifice myself to him, or let him go, tried to scare me into it... but I stood my ground and demanded some of his power, believe it!"

She chuckled lightly. "Talk about facing your demons."

He also laughed. "Yeah, seriously! The cool part is that he was impressed I stood up to him. That was the first time I summoned Gamabunta. When Kyuubi gave me some of his chakra... it was more than enough!"

"Naruto, that is so amazing." She said after several seconds, smiling. "Its cool you have control over him."

"Yeah... but it still worries me a little... I remember those gates, held closed by that seal... it looked flimsy, easy to break." He frowned. "I don't want him to take me over like Shukaku does Gaara... Even sealed Kyuubi has the power to influence me. I'd hate to see what a full scale possession would be like after seeing what happens to Gaara."

Loor shuddered, nodding a bit. "But... I still want to know what the Akatsuki wants him for..."

Naruto frowned again. "Yeah..."

"Hm?"

"They don't think I'm powerful... all they care about is the demon."

Loor suddenly got Naruto's depression. He was unhappy about being overlooked, even by people that were willing to cut his appendages off. Loor glanced up at Jariya, who was looking back at her with the 'what are you going to do' look.

She put on a smile and threw her arms around Naruto. "Well guess what, Whiskers? I don't think you're powerful, I _know_ you are, and ta hell with those who say otherwise. I bet you could take those Akatsuki guys one by one in slugfests any day."

Naruto looked up at her, both of them still managing to walk as she was squeezing him. "Slugfests...?"

"You know, tow to tow, hand to hand?" She giggled. "Haven't you ever seen a boxing match?"

Naruto still looked blank and Jariya was now giving her a funny look.

Loor sighed, and Naruto started laughing, his happy mood returning. "Hey, Loor, don't feel bad! You can always show me sometime if I come to visit you after you go home!"

Jariya perked up now, looking back. "Yeah... Hey, Loor, you said your home was somewhere in the Fire country, right? We won't be passing by it on the way, will we? We might just have to stop and talk to Fury's family. I know about what happened to yours... but I can imagine that Fury's is worried about her."

Uh-oh. Loor found herself thinking very fast, letting go of Naruto as her mind changed gears. At once she laughed with ease, shaking her head. "Sorry Jariya, but we're traveling the wrong direction if you wanna get to where I'm from. Me and Fury come from the other side of Konoha."

"Wow, you have to be right by the Suna border." Naruto gave. "That's funny... maybe you'll see Gaara again sometime!"

Loor kept her fake smile as she felt herself go cold on the inside. Gaara... her family... home... three things she didn't want to talk about, wanted to avoid completely... but her companions thought she was already over it, so she acted in such a way. "Heh... yeah, maybe so."

Naruto, out of his funk, suddenly looked up at Jariya. "Hey, Pervy-Sage! You mentioned the gal you're looking for, what was her name again?"

Jariya turned his head to look over his shoulder again and sighed, sinking back to walk between his two teenage companions. "Tsunade." He said.

Loor felt one eyebrow going up. How did you spell that? It sounded like Soo-Na-Day.

"What's she like?" Naruto prodded.

Jariya puzzled for a few moments. "In a word, she's unpleasant." He gave. "She's stubborn and has a huge gambling problem, funny part is that she's got rotten luck. She's got debts all over the place, and changes her appearance according to who she's dodging. In truth, she's as old as I am, but she hates aging so she uses jutsu to make herself look in her teens, twenty, thirty, and anywhere in between." He laughed slightly. "She even has a nick-name following her around most places."

"What's that?" Naruto questioned.

"The Legendary Fool."

"Sounds like a real piece of work..." Loor muttered. Great, another deception artist like her. This was the person Konoha wanted for a new leader? "Gai said something that would make you think she was a doctor..."

"Something like that." Jariya shrugged. "Tsunade and I grew up during war times, and she had a lot of great ideas. She's an unparalleled medic nin and came up with the idea of a four man squad during war; three fighting shinobi and one medic nin so people could be treated in the field. She knows more than either of you will ever learn about poisons, antidotes, and oddball medical predicaments. That's why we need her in Konoha right now... to bring Sasuke back around from the damage the Tsukuyomi from Itachi inflicted on him. I know what Gai is getting his hopes up about though..."

"What?" Loor and Naruto asked at the same time.

"His student. Lee. The doctors don't have much hope for him. He has shards of bone in his spine from when Gaara obliterated his left side. It's a medical wonder that Lee can still move, but he'll probably never have the same speed or power he used to. They could operate and try to remove the shards to allow full recovery, but that's playing hide and seek in his spinal cord..."

"Too dangerous." Loor summed up. "You either end up killing him or paralyzing him."

"You got it." Jariya sighed. "Doesn't take a medical genius to figure that one out."

"Poor Bushy Brow..." Naruto muttered. "He's gonna be torn apart when he hears that."

"Gai's been holding out on telling him."

Loor shook her head. It didn't matter how long Gai waited... if they didn't find Tsunade Lee would have to hear that eventually, and he would probably kill himself when he did.

"Hey, look, our next city."

Both Naruto and Loor looked up as they mounted a hill the road was on. Below, in what seemed to be built in a natural divot of the land, was another sprawling city like Otafuku had been... only bigger, and fortified. The wall was taller than the hole it was built in, but several of the buildings were taller than that in the center.

Loor felt herself cringing already. Once again, this didn't look like lazy Konoha... this was another city that was going to feel like Chicago or New York.

* * *

Gaara sighed; finally strong enough that Temari would let him walk about on his own. Well, actually it was Kankuro calling the shots at the moment. Temari had gone back to Konoha for another meeting with Shikamaru; something about a medicine book so they could take care of the hole in his shoulder better. So it was Kankuro who had allowed Gaara to walk about the city they were now in with a jutsu-based disguise.

He really hated transformation. It was annoying to hide who he was, as if he were some sort of blemish of the world. At the moment he strolled the streets looking like a scrawny sixteen year old with dark hair and somewhat dark skin, dressed in a simple shirt and pants and wearing a black pack which was actually what the transformation did to his gourd.

Yes, he had the weight on his back again. The gourd, made of sand, was held together by his chakra. When he fought Naruto he didn't have the chakra to gather the gourd up again, so he relied on Shukaku's chakra to remake the sand and form a new one.

Shukaku still hadn't talked much since Konoha. Gaara was almost afraid to try and instigate conversation with the raccoon. It scared him that he might actually miss conversing with the monster.

At the moment he attempted to ignore such things, looking about the city they'd settled in for now. It was a huge and sprawling place, fortified and crammed to the point the seams of the place just might burst. People made up a sea that forced you to go with the current or be trampled. To travel about you had to pick openings carefully and even then you would be knocked about some.

Gaara thought wishfully on decreasing the population.

The thought of killing brought an old smile to his artificial face for a moment before he violently shook his head, swearing at himself. Damn his addiction, it knew no reason! He had been away from it when Loor stepped in, and even if it had been brought back full force by Sound's little trick, Naruto had softened it... but he still felt it.

Of course... killing was just that- his addiction. Gaara didn't realize it, but it was his sickness, his disease. It had controlled him for oh so long, but now he resisted, frowning to himself and taking to back alley after back alley to avoid the crush of people...

To avoid the temptation to kill them. He wished to conquer his sickness on will power, but now that the thought had crossed his mind it would not leave.

Gaara's steps started to speed up, even if it fatigued him so. He wished to go back to the hotel, back to his brother... away from his sickness.

He came through an intersection in the thin paths between buildings with a kid almost bumped into him, running across his path without looking at him. The child was small, and if they had actually collided they both would have gone down into the damp ground.

Of course, such contact was not allotted. Instantly, sand burst forth from the illusion to protect him, forming a little wall between him and the kid that bounced off of it. Gaara twitched at Shukaku's intervention, sweeping a hand to his side to take control of the mass of sand and see the child sitting on the ground looking frightened.

"S-S-Sand...?" the small boy asked, eyes wide. He was a guttersnipe, dirty and matted.

Still, even guttersnipes knew the news of their country, and bounties, better than most.

"_Sabaku no Gaara!"_

Gaara growled at his formal title, twisting the hand that had taken the sand aside, putting the palm up, moving his hand back in front of him and extending his pointer finger. At once, the sand reacted to shove a portion of itself into the boy's mouth and shut him up, lest he start squealing.

He saw the fear in the child, feeling a tremor run through him. This was just like the old days...

It was just one. What could just one hurt? No one knew him. No one cared about guttersnipes. He could destroy the remains, grind flesh and bone with the sand till it was powder and mush, and dump it into the gutter for the rats.

Another shiver went through him, the flood of warmth, power. He felt his gratification already, his addiction...

He turned his hand to the side and curled all fingers but his pointer, which stayed out to mute the kid. He curled his middle and his ring finger into his palm, the sand wrapping around the boy's forehead and slim shoulders.

Gaara could feel the grin on his face as his distraction canceled out the transformation, leaving him in his natural way. His red hair, his insane smile, his ragged breath as it struggled in an out of him, his black clothes, and his gourd.

The child's eyes widened in horror.

The curl of Gaara's middle finger jerked out from his palm, the final command.

The band of sand around the child's head twisted, turning the kid's head more than half way around. The crack of a broken neck would have sickened most, but Gaara was not even few. He was one, one with this addiction, one with this sickness, one with this need to kill.

It flooded him as the child's life drained, his eyes the first to die as the jaw fell slack, feeling his addiction, feeling alive.

Such a menial pleasure from someone so weak... but it was like coming back home after being away for months; even if things are not right there its still good to see it again.

He did away with the body and put his disguise back on, returning to the hotel without a word.

How Loor would weep... he had recessed.

* * *

Yeah, another change, AN at the bottom. Way back when I used to do them at the top and bottom, but I thought I'd talk to you crazy people AFTER the chapter, seeing as you've been waiting about a month and are probably salvating like rabid dogs. Tomorrow I leave the US soil for Germany and will not return till June 23... or 28. Loor can't remember. It's far too past my bed time to think. Wait, bedtime? When did I believe in that?

Nevermind... you can tell my head isn't together at the moment. I'll just get the legal stuff out of the way; No ownage.

Leave a review and go on to the next chapter. Trust me, it gets better. Tee-hee...


	15. No I In Team

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Fifteen- No 'I' In Team**

Fury sighed, frowning herself. She felt herself pining for Kiba's arm around her middle, but he had been called home to help his mother with the two remaining puppies that were still at his house. Fury, on the other hand, had to return to the hospital so they could continue to monitor her condition. So, with Schizo on her shoulder and Asuma walking beside her as an escort, Fury made her way through Konoha.

"So, do you think training went well today?" Asuma asked in the silence.

"It was okay..." Fury mumbled. She wasn't one to come right out and say negative things.

"Are you kidding?" Asuma shook his head. "Ino is a leader type and she comes in last. If that's not pathetic, I don't know what is. I just can't figure out how to get those three to work together without Ino becoming a dictator and bossing the boys around, but Choji stops listening and Shikamaru would rather take a nap."

Fury nodded. "Yeah... I noticed that. Ino should learn she's not a princess. They're not going to listen to her just cause she says so... and her voice doesn't help her."

"Her voice?" Asuma questioned.

"Yeah, her voice." Fury altered up an octave. "Like this, do you really want to listen to someone who talks like a chipmunk? Are you going to take them seriously? Or do you want to rip your ears off?"

They both laughed, and Asuma nodded, pulling a cigarette out of his vest. "You mind if I smoke?"

"It's okay."

He nodded, putting the thing in his mouth and lighting up using a match in another pocket. He puffed twice, thinking. "If only there was a way to have them get to know each other a bit better..."

Fury also bent her mind around it, nuzzling the sleeping puppy on her shoulder at the same time. She tried to think...

"Dinner."

Asuma glanced down at her. "Eh?" He asked, pulling the ciggy out of his mouth.

"Maybe you could have them go to their teammates' houses for dinner, hang with each other's families. Ino probably wouldn't like to do it, but even if they don't even talk to their team mate over the meal, parents tend to talk about their own kid a lot when friends are over."

"Hm... they get to know a little more about each other, and see what each of them are going home to... sounds like they might get a little more understanding in. But you're right, Ino is going to have a fit."

"Sounds like she had at least three every day." Fury said. "I don't really see a problem."

Asuma nodded, puffing a few more times on his cancer stick and letting it hang from his lips, bobbing it up and down before taking it out again. "I think I might actually do that Fury, thank you. It's a great idea."

Fury laughed a bit. "Why thank you. I have a bunch of other good ones, but most of them involve gutting Ino in some gruesome way or another."

Asuma laughed, patting Fury's back. "You're alright Fury. I can see why Kiba likes you."

* * *

_Thud._

Ino swore quietly, fumbling about her kitchen at home, trying to find a cup. She woke up in the middle of the night, thirsty, her eyes hurting again. She ignored her eyes and left her room for water, stumbling about and bumping into things as she avoided turning on the light. She didn't want to because it would just make her eyes hurt more to adjust and she didn't know what was hurting them to begin with.

It was the same ache she'd gotten during training...

_Thud._

"Owie..." She muttered, stumbling around a chair and finally getting to the cupboard, her hands knowing where the handle was and the cups, slipping one out and turning to the sink in the counter. She flicked the water on and filled the cup, shutting the water off and leaning on the counter to drink.

She blinked, sighing. Her eyes now felt more strange than painful, and it was making her worry. What kind of chemicals did Kiba put in those bombs? She knew he made them himself, so maybe they were harmful... She closed her eyes, hoping they weren't. She liked seeing... the world had a lot of things to see, lots of pretty things. Pretty flowers, pretty trees, pretty places, pretty _boys._

She hefted a dreamy sigh. _Pretty boys like Sasuke..._ She thought to herself, dreamily. On the other hand, Sasuke wasn't pretty, he was beautiful. And she was beautiful.

"Which equals beautiful children." She chirruped to herself, giggling at the thoughts she'd been having about Sasuke since she first had a crush on him.

She finished her water, putting the cup down in the sink and starting back to her room.

_Thud!_

She tripped over the chair this time, landing on the floor and swearing loudly. She growled, pushing herself up and feeling her way along through the house to avoid any more clumsy moments. When she reached her room she finally turned a light on, closing her eyes tightly when she did before cracking them open to adjust.

Her room was a tidy little space, sweet smelling with a fluffy bed that had floral print covers. Her windows were big and wide, and gave a lovely view in the morning. Aside from that the floor was hardwood with a rug by her bed in front of the full-length mirror, the door to a walk in closet off to the side.

Ino glanced around, biting her lower lip. Was it just her... or did the colors of her room seem duller?

She laughed at herself. She was a fool, thinking things... seeing things...

Her eyes just hurt... they weren't damaged.

No... she was perfect. Absolutely perfect.

* * *

_Darkness. The perfect dark of midnight, nothing prevailing... nothing showing through the inky black. _

_That sound!_

_So... disgusting, that sound. The sound of a sword, a katana, ringing through living flesh. The blood, splashing on the ground! So sickening... so wrong!_

"_Mommy!" _

_Another ring, the laugh, that hated laugh! Light, fleeting, shifting, moon through the clouds._

"_Dad!!" _

_I see him now. I can see him... he killed them! _

_No, Anne... Paul... "GET AWAY!!" _

_Why won't they listen to me? Why won't my brother and sister run when I tell them to?_

_Why did they have to die? _

_It's my fault. _

_It's all my fault. I let them die. _

"_You didn't let them die, Loor..." _

_His voice. His slithering, evil voice. His yellow eyes, his bloodstained katana. _

_Orochimaru. _

"_People don't let things happen... why, if it is your fault..." _

_My hand. The katana is in my hand. _

"_You killed them." _

"_No!" It can't be! "I would never! I love them! You did it! You killed them!"_

"_It's your fault, Loor! Your fault! You did it! You killed them!" _

_The katana. Thrown. Away. Never hold it again. _

_His voice. In my ear. I hate it. It makes me sick. _

"_Don't think they're the last Loor... never think them the last. I will use you... you're my hunting hound now, my wolf, wearing my leash." _

_The pain. My mark. _

"_God!!" _

"_No god will help you, Loor. You killed them, and you will kill more... and you will kill for me." _

"_NO!!" _

* * *

When Jariya, Loor, and Naruto had come into the city they went straight to finding a hotel. Loor was skiddish upon getting in, and the sun was already going down. They'd go explore tomorrow.

Checking in Jariya got a cheep room. It had no beds, just a big flat floor. Jariya and Naruto both had mats to roll out onto the floor, but all Loor had was her blanket. Naruto at once insisted that Loor share with him, and as much as she fought him about it she found herself curled up on his mat with him.

God it sucks when people care about you.

Loor actually went to sleep pretty quickly, seeing as she didn't sleep too well the night before. Having a run-in with deadly shinobi will do that to you. Naruto, on the other hand, slept like a baby the night before and now sat awake for at least an hour between Loor tossing and turning in her sleep and Jariya snoring like a bear.

Naruto grew concerned. Not about Jariya, most old men snored like that. Loor. Every time he'd seen her asleep, she was restless like that. It was like her mind never shut off, but now this behavior seemed more active than ever.

Her head tossed to the side and her brow knit together. "N--.. no..."

Naruto sat up, suddenly understanding. She was having a nightmare! Wait, that means all the other times... nightmares? Every time?

He winced. It must have been her family. She told him how she lost them, how she became an orphan, now two months and two weeks ago. Their brutal slaughter...

At Orochimaru's hands.

How many times had her mind taunted her with their death? How tortured _was_ her mind? He pitied her, frowning and reaching out to wake her from her torment...

When she suddenly gasped and woke up on her own.

She panted, her blue eyes running around the room in panic. Once she realized where she was she looked towards the two boys and found Naruto awake.

"Na... Naruto." She greeted. "You okay? You look a little... disturbed."

"You were having a nightmare, I think."

Loor frowned to herself, putting her head back into the mat. "Oh... I guess I was being a bit active, huh? Did I wake you?"

"No." Naruto assured. "I still haven't fallen asleep. But... how long have you been having those nightmares?"

"Since I arrived in Konoha." She said easily.

He bit his lip. "What... what happens?"

She shook her head. "Don't remember."

_Liar. _

"Really?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, really, so I can't be bothered." She said this while turning to her stomach, stretching on the mat and sighing. "God damn it..."

"What?"

"My bra feels really tight... I can hardly breathe." Loor growled, getting up from the mat and stretching this way and that. Usually loosening up the muscles helped with such a problem, and she started to feel better as she lifted her hands over her head, taking a deep breath and then reaching for her toes.

As her fingers touched her toes, she heard something rip.

Naruto looked up, and Loor felt herself turning slightly red. "Did... was that what I thought it was?"

"I think so..." Naruto was holding a laugh.

Loor slowly stood up, keeping a hand over her bosom, feeling back to find her bra had split up the back from too much stress. She was officially too big for it, it would seem. "Oh shit..." She muttered. "That's not good."

"Well, don't you have another one?"

"Naruto, have you ever seen me wear a different bra?"

"Point taken."

She growled, reaching for the floor once more and picking up her green coat. She pulled it on and then slipped her broken bra off, walking over to her pack and putting her ruined garment in one of the little pockets. Then, sitting at her pack, she realized something...

"Hey, I think I got something else."

"Eh, what?" Naruto asked.

"Those suits Gai gave us. They're like... spandex, aren't they? I mean, it has to offer some kind of support, more than my coat."

"You're right..." Naruto nodded. "But what if it's too thin and people can see... like... your..."

Loor could sense him blushing and laughed. "My nipples? I'll have my coat with me in case of that, and get Jariya to give me some money so I can go get a new sports bra."

"And new pants, Loor. Yours are high water."

"And new underwear."

"You know, I have a lot of money and I doubt you're going to weasel anything out of Jariya. I'll take you tomorrow."

Loor smiled at Naruto over her shoulder, opening up her pack to pull out the green suit. "Thanks Naruto... but I want to try and get used to the city on my own. I know I freeze up... but there's only one way to conquer fear, right? Face it head on."

"Right, but I still wanna come with." Naruto insisted. "I'm allowed to worry about you."

Loor laughed, pulling off her pants and her coat, arguing with her leg weights, trusting Naruto's shame to turn his eyes away from her. She was trying to figure out how in the world to pull on the suit. It had no buttons or snaps or zippers. "You don't have to though." She gave back, grabbing the collar of the suit and pulling. To her surprise, it stretched like crazy. More than enough to pull it on.

"Loor, look at yourself. The coat you have is modest and I still worry about you." He chuckled as she stood up to put the suit on, stretching it and pulling it on. "Now you're gonna be walking around a city in a skin tight green thing."

She shook her head, sighing, stretching this way and that once she had the suit on. Gai was right, it was very comfortable! Looking down she ran a careful hand over her chest, looking for anything sticking out that shouldn't have been. Thankfully, nothing was. The suit was thick enough to hide that. "Naruto, if someone messes with me I kick their ass. You know that. Of all people you _should_ know that."

She said this while sitting down again to pull her leg weights back on. She had nothing to put over them, where Lee had his leg warmers. Oh well.

"You didn't kick Itachi's ass." Naruto said.

Loor felt a twitch run through her, eyes turning back upon him, frowning. "That's an unfair comparison."

"They're after us, Loor. I bet they know if they threaten my friend I'll come running. You need to have someone with you."

Loor shook her head, pushing up to her feet and walking back to the mat to get comfortable. "I don't like it... but for the first day or two I'll do it. We don't even know if those guys followed us."

Naruto shrugged. "They _were_ kinda scared of Jariya. He's the one who made them run."

Loor yawned, nodding and laying back. She pulled Naruto down so she had something warm to curl up against.

"Hey... Naruto?"

"Eh?"

"You mind if I tell Hinata you make a good pillow?"

"Uh... no, why?"

"Just thought she might like to know."

* * *

Just to say right here, I love the NaruHina pairing.

No ownage.

Review please!


	16. ReUnited

**Markings- Middle ground  
** **Chapter Sixteen- Reunited**

Naruto and Loor had gotten up at an ungodly hour as to avoid the major crush of people that made Loor nervous, dawn just breaking over the city. They woke Jariya long enough to tell him there had been a problem in the middle of the night and they were going out for a little while to fix it. Jariya, hardly awake, waved them off.

That sent the two vertically challenged, blue-eyed blonds through the city looking for women's shops that were open while the streets were still clear and Loor wouldn't be bothered. It took them about half an hour to find one, which was good.

Here was the weird part; the lady there first assumed that Loor and Naruto were fraternal twins. They set her straight... kinda. They stuck with the siblings illusion, only Loor proclaimed Naruto as her big brother despite the fact that she had he were the same height.

Loor and Naruto found what the needed and got out. Loor got two new sports bras, one black and one deep purple, sized to fit around her now thirty-two-inch rib cage. She didn't bother finding out what cup size she was sitting on at the time; it didn't matter to sports bras and that was all she wore. Along with that she got a new set of black pants that actually fit and had pockets and a few pairs of underwear that her ass wouldn't eat.

She had to imagine how odd Naruto felt standing there, seeing as he was paying. When she'd made the selection, and she did it as fast as possible, they went back by the entrance where the counter with the cash register was. The shop lady totaled it all and Naruto pulled out his wallet.

Naruto's wallet was a purse in the shape of a frog. At the moment, it was stuffed to the point of bursting, nice and fat with ryo.

Naruto was a rich little so an so...

Loor was happy to be out of the shop when they left, but the city was waking up. Still, she had another issue she wanted to take care of.

"Hey... Naruto, do you think we could find a bath house around here?"

"Hm?" Naruto cocked his head. "Of course, almost every village or city has a few bath houses, depending on how big the place is."

"Jariya'll throw another fit if I don't keep up on hygiene." As they walked through the streets, she walked closer to him and grabbed the back of his coat again with her free hand as more people appeared on said streets, the other arm clutching the things they had bought and her green coat. "I know you boys are gonna enjoy the festival that Jariya said was going on here, but I don't have to be with you guys for that. I can go and enjoy a hot bath while you two explore, and you can come find me later."

"Loor--"

"No." She cut in. "Naruto, I need a little time to think by myself. Please."

Naruto sighed, shaking his blond head. "I don't like it... but okay."

So in under a half hour they had made it to a bathhouse that wasn't too far from the hotel they were staying at. Loor was happy to be left alone, Naruto giving her a little money in case one of the bath attendants went poking for a tip. Thanks to the early morning no one else was in the girls area, and the place was very nice. There were two areas, one for the bath and one for relaxing. It was like the public showers of Konoha being connected to the hot springs, only these were artificially heated.

Loor actually enjoyed making herself clean again, getting used to such a feeling. She had given the money Naruto had given to her to the bath attendant, who instantly started doing favors. She moved Loor's clothes to the changing area for the hot springs, got her fresh soap, and a just cleaned towel ready for her as she came out from bathing.

Loor smiled softly at such comforts, drawing the white, slightly warm, towel up around her and walking to the relaxation area. She found her clothes in the changing room, just taking note of where they were. From there, it was a traditional rice paper door that stood between her and the warm pool.

The water was clean, the pool made of smooth, dark stone, a wall of vertical bamboo between her and the boy's pool. Loor took off her towel, wading to the end of the pool and then setting down and leaning back on the edge to relax.

As her head leaned back, she began to think.

She was worried about how long this Tsunade business was going to take, but not hugely so. Jariya and her were friends, so he had to know where her haunts were. No, the unrest in her mind had a different source, one that poked at her mind now that she was alone, prodded at her emotions.

Gaara.

She sank into the pool a bit more, as if she intended to go under the water but didn't make it. Her eyes closed, frowning to herself. She knew he had to have gone home by now. Why, everyone in the Fire country was on a headhunt for him and his siblings. She'd seen the posters with poor pictures of them offering bounty.

But some part of her said that he couldn't be home yet. No, he had left Konoha with a massive wound in his shoulder and she'd heard Temari say they couldn't make the trek back till he was healed up and able to take the desert.

She hefted a big sigh, shaking her head. "Gaara... where are you...?"

Ah, if only she knew who heard her, knew who could be just on the other side of the bamboo. Like a prayer being responded to, Loor felt a change in the air. It caused her to lift her head, wondering what it was. It took a few seconds, but her heat-dulled senses came to recognize the feeling of the air- someone's chakra, flowing about, looking for who had spoken, finding her, asking for response.

Loor didn't yelp. She didn't get up. She simply put her hands together, slowly, in the sign for ram. In mere seconds she'd brought up a mass of chakra to burn in her chest, then making contact with the mass that was still pondering over her.

They both recognized as they touched.

"Gaara..." She whispered.

"Loor." Was the statement from the other side of the wall.

"What the hell are you...?" Loor found herself standing up, looking around for anyone who might be watching. Thankfully, there was no one. "Just a second, just wait a moment."

Loor stood in the pool, taking a few deep breaths to ignite her energy again, gather her chakra. Once she had it she got her hands to the proper sign.

"_Transformation." _

Seconds later, she was wearing the form of a sixteen year old blond boy with long hair, green eyes, and tan skin. Glancing about again, she threw herself over the bamboo wall to land in the other pool on a chakra-assisted jump.

When she turned, she saw a dark haired boy with darker skin and muddy eyes. No doubt this was Gaara, wearing a disguise to avoid capture while healing... Her eyes saw it, something a transformation could not get rid of.

The wound.

The bandages that should have been over it were nowhere to be seen, probably removed for bathing, but the wound was a scary thing. Loor could imagine this disgusting thing on Gaara's actual body, an ugly red indent in his shoulder where the Chidori had done its damage; the spot effected the side of a grape fruit. Still, new pink flesh at the edges said the thing was healing. Across his chest were the puss filled pockets from other burns, from the lighting of that attack striking out at the rest of him.

Sasuke did this?

She was tempted to touch him, as she always did, as if to give him some comfort, but she found herself still looking at other things. She found his eyes, and even if their color was altered she could still see what she needed to see in them.

It caused her pain.

Again... not again...

That was the same look in his eye that she'd seen when she met him; dead and distant. His living spark was missing.

"You recessed." The voice of her transformation said, telling him what she knew just looking at him, just seeing him. She knew the voice had expressed something else... she was hurt by this.

Gaara could hear it, and found himself standing up. "Loor, what do you mean?"

His voice was different too, but she knew he was surprised by her hurt, also suffering his feelings from seeing her again. Seeing her, even disguised as a male... when they were both resigned to the fate that they would never meet again. Never.

_Never._

It was easy to see why he and his siblings were here; instead of traveling towards Suna they went in the other direction while Gaara healed. It would make the trip home longer but they evaded being found.

"You... I can see it in you Gaara... you may not have gotten your hands bloody yet, but you... you're thinking that way again. I can see it."

"Don't call me that here." He hissed, glancing towards the rice paper door. "Call me Sabaku. It is part of my formal title, but they don't notice."

"So you don't deny it?" She asked, coming closer to him. "You've... no... you don't have to... I can see it..."

He stared at her reaction to something he hadn't even admitted to, and took a step back in shock.

Her head lowered in tears.

Even this form, seeing this fake form cry for her, hurt him. "Loor..."

"Tell me the truth... how bad is it?"

He opened his mouth to deny, but then found the truth. He had never found anything wrong with his habits before, only now did he while she was around. "One. Just one. Meaningless... He recognized me... I had to."

"But you enjoyed it!" She snapped, her rage causing her disguise to waver before holding strong again. "I can see it, you went running back to your addiction! Don't you understand, I can't help you unless you help yourself!"

"It could not be helped." He said, maintaining his calm. "I had no choice."

"But... why do you enjoy it?" She snorted at herself. "Why am I even asking that question? I know the answer. You do it because it makes you feel good, instant gratification, your brain recognizes it... it enters your survival instinct and then becomes more important than the need to breathe. Same pattern with substance abuse."

Gaara's eyes showed he was hurt by her words as she was hurt by his recession. He didn't want to see her so unhappy with him, so sad, so angry... he wanted her to smile, laugh, something! His mouth opened, attempting to vindicate himself.

"Loor... what if I never did it again?"

Her eyes slowly made contact through her anger, feeling it melt away as the connection between them was made. She felt it in her, that rousing of emotion.

"I still love you." She muttered, as if to answer him. He had done wrong... and yet she still felt just as connected, felt herself wanting him just as much. She wished to come close, care for his wounds, do whatever made him happy, and distract him from his pain. "I... Ga--" She cut herself off. "Sabaku." She corrected. "May I...?"

She had reached out a hand to him. He took it, bringing it close and kissing her knuckles.

"Please." he said. "I insist."

They both sat back down in the water, and she found her hand crossing his face first, brushing over his disguise and frowning a bit. Where were his blue eyes? His ashen insomnia? His red locks? The mark upon his head? This face felt all wrong, yet she still pleasured in touching him.

But her hands had curiosity, and followed it. Before she could stop herself, her fingers carefully picked paths between the sores on his chest, afraid to touch the pockets of pus and hurt him. Before long, her hands came to the main wound...

"Chidori..." She muttered, shaking her head.

"It doesn't hurt that much anymore." He tried to reassure her. "Not unless someone touches it."

"I won't." She gave, sighing. "I'd give you a hug but I'd probably hurt you."

"Loor..." She looked up at him again. Reflected in those muddy brown eyes she could still see her male disguise and wondered to herself how odd it had to be to have man messing with him like that. She felt embarrassed, having not thought about it. Still, he expressed no real discomfort, putting a hand on her cheek.

"Let me see you." He requested. "Please."

She glanced up towards the paper door to check for shadows behind it, and saw none. Feeling somewhat safe she nodded a little, letting go of the jutsu.

In return, he let his own disguise go.

She couldn't help it when she saw him; her hand took up on the side of his face and pulled him forward, their lips colliding. She was nearly crying, but that emotion was given to him through their meeting. In seconds he understood everything she'd felt when he left; the loneliness, the ache, the pain, the loss...

No matter how much it hurt him, he pulled her closer. He felt the pain across his chest from the blisters, and perhaps one or two had popped, but he didn't care. He felt her chest against his and felt feelings jolt through him. It went through him like the death of that little kid had, only this was so much more powerful, so much more incredible, and so much harder to get... but it lasted. It tingled, made his pain be forgotten, made him want to hold her there for as long as he could.

Finally, they both let go. Loor looked down at the two burst pus pockets and dipped herself into the water to clean off a little, giggling. She had no shame of Gaara seeing her like this, but he seemed somewhat disturbed at the realization that she was naked. When she looked up, he was staring.

"Eh... Oi, Sabaku!" She laughed a little. "Haven't you ever seen a pair before?"

He shook his head no.

She laughed, shaking her head. Of course, no concept of affection, sex, or otherwise. In a way... he was innocent.

"Why do girls have those?" He asked, sounding like a kid asking why the sky was blue.

"Has to do with babies." She snickered at him. "Not to mention boys seem to like lookin' at em."

This was his cue to focus back on her face. He was blushing. _Blushing! _ Scary. "I-I'm sorry."

She shook her head, laughing again and leaning in to kiss him quickly on the cheek. "It's okay... where are you staying?"

He shrugged, lifting his hands to re-do the jutsu and go back to his disguise. "A hotel near here..."

"You mean the one that's practically next door to this place?"

Slowly he nodded. "Yes... why?"

"I'd like to be able to see _you._ Not some other form with you behind it."

He nodded a little bit. "The room number is 325."

"Cool." She smiled, leaning next to him and kissing his cheek. "I'll see you tonight?"

He nodded, placing his cheek upon hers. "Of course... Just knock. I'll warn Kankuro."

* * *

When Fury woke up, she was surprised to find another scroll on her chest. It was another letter, again from Kabuto. Having woken up alone, just her and her puppy, she was left to attempt to read it alone after getting it open with her toes.

Heh, yeah right. Her grasp on the language was poor at best, and reading it was almost out of the question, even if all she'd learned from Kiba. Skimming through it while Schizo sat on her lap, Fury could only understand a few key phrases; _Mission was good, Sound forces left Fire country, and Sensei Jaaku wants to... _

Stop? Yes, that was what that symbol was.

_Stop on the way home to meet a friend._

"Tan-za-Ku..." Fury sounded out the three symbols that had to be the name of the city they were going to for meeting Kabuto's sensei's friend. "Tanzaku city."

Schizo got up off of Fury's lap and sniffed the letter, suddenly sneezing and shaking her head, growling as if the smell on it disturbed her.

"Schizo," Fury scolded. "Kabuto is a nice guy. Don't be mean."

* * *

"Orochimaru-sama?"

"Get off of me, Kabuto! Don't treat me like a child!"

"Apologies, I--"

"Just shut up... gods... Damn you Sarutobi... I never thought it would hurt this much."

"Orochimaru, perhaps we should rest. I know you want to get to where we're going quickly but--"

"I don't have time to wait... I will not stand this pain any longer than I have to, any longer than needed. Without using roads, going obscure ways so slowly on foot... it will already take weeks to get to the city."

"How can we be sure _she'll_ be there?"

"Where else would that fool be? Its a city full of casinos, a gambling center."

"And how do you expect to get her to heal you? Or even if she can?"

"Kabuto, you ask too many questions... she's an old friend, and though I don't expect her to be happy to see me, I have something I can give to her... something she'd do anything for, I'm sure. She's _the_ medical authority... if she can't heal this damage on my arms, no one can."

"The seal Sarutobi used was very powerful... a few moments more and he could have killed you."

"A sword through the stomach tends to limit one's life expectancy, Kabuto."

"What about our other plans? The Kazekage has been discovered dead but the general public doesn't know that yet. Konohagure won't say a word till the new treaty is finished... but I've received word that a group of shinobi left the village recently."

"What do I care?"

"One of your slaves might be with the group. Loor."

"...Hmm... on the lookout for her little sand worm no doubt. She's nothing to worry about, too weak to pose a real threat. Who are the others?"

"I don't know. I only know Loor left by the fact that my letter intended for her never got to her and came back to me."

"I have little care for her or her sister right now. Finding that fool is first... then we'll worry about war."

* * *

Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you how many updates are in this set. I get up to chapter 20 and chapter 21 is in the making. I probably won't sleep tonight, but oh well. That's what the plane ride tomorrow is for! Right...? Sure... right...

I need a life.

No ownage.

Reviews equal love.


	17. Eyes On The Balloon

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Seventeen- Eyes on the Balloon**

"You want us to do _what?" _

Fury winced at Ino's voice asking this question. She stood with Kiba's team as Asuma went before his team with her idea. Schizo, perched on Fury's shoulder, also seemed to dislike the inflexion on Ino's voice.

Asuma sighed slightly, repeating himself. "I want you to have dinner with each other's families and try to get to know each other a bit better. Actually... I'm requiring it."

'Sensei! This isn't fair! I almost never eat dinner anyway!"

Yeah, that would be Ino.

Fury felt herself wanting to kill Ino as Asuma calmly told Ino she had no choice and she started complaining loudly, going to whining when Asuma would not bend. On the other hand, Fury also giggled when Choji muttered something along the lines of 'She'd be prettier if she put on a few pounds.'

Fury, in the most non-lesbian way possible, agreed with him.

"Fury."

Looking over at Kiba, she cocked her head. "Hm?"

"I heard you got another letter from Kabuto this morning. What'd the jerk have to say?"

"Kiba, he's not a jerk... and who'd you hear that from?"

"Schizo just told me."

Fury glared at the dog. "Traitor." She giggled as Schizo licked her face in return, looking back at him. "Yeah, I did. Apparently he's going to be a bit longer getting back to the village than he thought. His sensei wants to make a stop on the way home."

"What? That's odd... usually sensei wouldn't do that. On the other hand, there's no Hokage to punish him for taking his time on the way home, so he's got nothing to worry about."

"When are they going to get a new one?" Fury huffed, glancing around. They were still waiting for Kurenai to show up before training started. "I mean... they can't leave the village leaderless."

Kiba shrugged. "Don't know. They'd better pick some old person though."

She seemed confused. "Eh? Why?"

"So they kick the bucket by the time I make my prime!" Kiba laughed, grinning. "C'mon, you forgot I was vouching for that job too? On the other hand... I don't think Akamaru and I would be able to hold still for too long to do paperwork and the like."

"I don't think Akamaru will fit through the doors of the Hokage palace when he's full sized."

Both Fury and Kiba turned a little bit to see Sakura walking up, carrying Akamaru.

"Hey Sakura!" Kiba greeted, waving. Fury was like wise, just not as loud.

"Hey you two." The pink haired wonder returned, handing Akamaru to Kiba. "Found him wondering back when I was on my way over and decided I might as well pet him as I walk. Can I train with your group today? Sasuke isn't back and Kakashi is still sick... and Naruto is still off with Jariya, so I'm alone."

"You'd be better off asking Asuma... or Kurenai when she gets here. Where is that woman?" Dog boy glanced about, growling a little as Akamaru crawled into his hood, barking at his sister playfully, which got Schizo to start yipping back.

"Kurenai isn't usually late..." Hinata came over, joining the party. "Do you think something happened to her?"

Fury shrugged. "I have no idea... but I'm getting worried too."

"I am sure there is nothing to worry about."

Fury nearly jumped, twisting her head to see that Shino had crept up behind her in his usual creepy way. She didn't notice him till he spoke. After a few seconds she nodded a little, sighing. "Yeah... but I'm starting to get the itch to go look for her."

"No need. I'm here."

The group of people in the clearing, including Asuma's team, turned to see Kurenai walking up. She didn't look her best, red eyes showing some effects of a lack of sleep and her face a great deal of stress. Fury felt concern, but kept it to herself. Kurenai was a grown person... she could handle herself, right?

Kiba was more curious than caring. "Hey, Kurenai, you look like crap. What's up?"

"Kiba!" Sakura protested. "Watch what you say."

Kurenai laughed a little. "No, no, I'm sure I don't look my best. I just got a report from Gai is all. Sasuke is back in the village... but he's in the hospital. Broken arm and ribs, among other things."

Fury glanced at Sakura, who's face became very pale.

"What happened to him?!"

That wasn't Sakura's shout.

Ino had advanced upon Kurenai, as if being closer would make the adult more apt to giving information. "What happened to Sasuke-Kun?"

Kurenai tried to look more at the group than just Ino's blond head demanding attention. "We're not sure... but he's in critical condition. I don't think they're allowing visitors."

"Keh, Sasuke probably went and bit off more than he could chew in some fight or another!" Kiba's brash voice came. "The invincible Uchiha has gone into the hospital twice now in the same month."

"Shut up dog-boy!" Ino snapped. "That's _my_ Sasuke-kun you're talking about!"

"_Your_ Sasuke-kun?" Sakura spoke up now. "In your dreams, Ino-pig! He's mine!"

"In _your_ dreams, Billboard brow!" Ino gave back, referring to Sakura's big forehead.

Fury twitched twice, ducking down as if she could be physically caught in the crossfire of words between the two girls. "Fangirls..." She muttered to herself. What was so great about angsty boys anyway?

"Girls!" Kurenai snapped. "You can argue later, after training."

And with that, the day finally began. Fury had to sit out... again. Which sucked, watching everyone else go to work while she sat there, playing with the two dogs best she could without having any hands to work with. She couldn't wait to get this restraining cast off. She had never thought about how much wiggling her fingers could mean to her when she wasn't able to do it.

Sighing slightly, sitting back to let the two dogs sit in her lap and on her stomach, she closed her eyes to think.

She was a little worried about a lot of things. Kakashi had taken sick and been gone for two days now, and Sasuke, back from wherever he disappeared to and hospitalized. Something was strange, and Loor was out of the village...

Fury worried for her sister, Naruto, and Jariya. Fury often had premonitions that she attributed to the supernatural, and a lot of times they were right. She was prone to dajavu and finding things that had happened in obscure dreams happening months or even years later. When Fury had a bad feeling, she was usually right.

It was often scary. Kiba had not met Fury's paranoia besides her panic attack in the hospital. It tended to act up when she was left alone, which was something that had not happened since arriving two months and a week ago.

Now alone, she felt it creeping into her head. Nightmares that had been kept at bay by other's company, now making her eyes twitch under her lids.

She was sure... Loor was in some danger. Perhaps it was the same danger that Sasuke had faced. If that was the case, Fury was truly scared.

With a shock Fury suddenly came crashing back to the world of the living from her mind, sitting up quickly and looking around. The genin and their sensei had moved on to training and out of the clearing, but Fury was sure she'd heard something aside from the two puppies gnawing on each other's ears.

"Hello?" She asked softly, jade eyes scanning about. She was already paranoid from her premonition, and now she felt as if she was being watched... "Who's there??"

Another sound, a clumsy step and a thud. Fury whimpered and both dogs came to her, smelling her sudden terror.

Much to her relief, Lee came out of the trees and into the clearing. The thudding had been his crutches. His bad foot was in a brace and bent up from the ground, his good leg on the grass with his crutches. He still wore his blue robe from the hospital and pale blue pants. "Hello Fury-chan." He greeted.

"Lee." She returned, nodding, sighing. "What are you doing here?"

"Loor wanted me to keep an eye on you." He said, rather blunt.

Fury groaned in annoyance. "_Oh. _ I see."

"You seem unhappy... what is wrong about her caring about you?"

"There's such thing about caring too much." She huffed, shaking her head. "Loor's gotta understand that I _do_ function when she's not around. I can't believe that girl sometimes... she's got such an ego! I mean... I understand how I was when we met, but I've grown up a bit since then, I don't need her as much as I did. But if she's not in my life, she feels like she's not doing her job."

Lee lowered his head, shaking it. "Fury... I mean no disrespect to either of you, but perhaps you need to take care of each other."

"Loor never needs anyone to take care of her... no one can even try. She'll punch ya if you try to help her."

"She is not doing well... I have seen it. For all she will worry about you, and everyone, she suffers."

"Well then, she should stop worrying!" Fury got up to her feet, growling and starting to walk up and down the training grounds. "She doesn't want my help in her life, she just wants to help me."

She looked back at him to find him studying his faintly blue slippers from the hospital.

"Sorry... that was harsh." She apologized, studying her own shoes.

"It is fine." He shrugged, hobbling over to a tree and leaning upon it. "Loor may not want help... but she does need it. Her world is hardly together. I have seen her recently at her worst... and yet I fear it is not her worst. I believe her reflex to help people, to care for you, to encourage me... is her trying to ignore her own hurt and cover it up with healing others."

"She's not helping me with what she's doing." Fury huffed. "Trying to protect me all the time... how am I supposed to get powerful when she won't take me off the stupid leash?"

He considered this, and then hobbled over to her. At first Fury was confused at he put the crutches aside to crouch down, putting his bad leg out and his weight on his good leg. Fury stared as he suddenly grabbed her upper calf.

"What the hell are you doing?!" She yelped, trying to pull her leg away. Lee's hand was strong though, and held her still.

"I want to see what progress you've made with Kurenai."

Fury's struggles died down, sighing. She felt like a horse getting felt up and down before a race, even if he would only inspect her legs not wanting to disturb her bad ribs or her arms.

Finally, he stood up straight. "You should speak with TenTen when your hand heals."

"But I'm already learning about weapons with Kiba and Kurenai."

Lee shook his head. "Some people are not potent with hand to hand combat. Their punches are finishing blows, not weakening shots. Others are splendid with Taijutsu... I believe you might be a little of both. Share your training between the teams, and TenTen will teach you how to make anything into a weapon. With Kurenai you will continue with the fundamentals... but I could teach you speed, TenTen could teach you weapons, and Neji would be able to show you how to master your chakra in ways you never dreamed."

With that, Lee took up his crutches and left the clearing.

Fury sat on her rear, thinking as the dogs came back to her, licking her and looking for what little attention she could give them.

She then smirked. When Loor got back, they'd have another fight... and Fury would best her at long last.

* * *

Loor had felt very good as she left the bathhouse, clean, wearing clothes that actually fit, and bearing her weapon again as Naruto had brought it for her when he came to get her. Jariya was with him, and Naruto seemed somewhere between overjoyed and very unhappy as Jariya started leading the way through the crowded city to... somewhere.

Loor, clinging to Naruto the whole way, was quick to ask. "What's going on?"

"Jariya is finally going to start training me." Naruto muttered. This confused her more. She would have expected him to be jumping for joy, happy that training would begin at long last.

But he sounded royally pissed off.

"Did Jariya _do_ something?" She finally questioned.

"He took my wallet."

"The froggy?"

"Yeah... gave me a lecture on how shinobi are supposed to avoid three things; Alcohol, money, and women. So he gave me just a little bit of my money and held on to the rest..." He trailed off, growling. "When I went to go find him later, I found he'd spent it all and was enjoying all three of the ninja taboos at the same time."

"Jariya!" Loor yelped, clinging harder to Naruto's arm, whining. She didn't need anger added onto her nervousness but couldn't help instant protest to the man's behavior.

"Keep your pants on, I'm gonna pay him back!" Jariya snapped. Apparently he'd already had enough. "If you're gonna throw a fit, _you_ can carry the balloons."

"Balloons...?" Loor questioned, looking at Jariya funny. "What balloons? All I see is that extra bag you've got there."

It was true, Jariya was carrying a large tan bag he hadn't had before. It was lumpy and full of something, but no one had told her what.

"That bag is full of balloons." Naruto said, glaring at Pervy-sage. "When I... was... well, I got mad at Jariya and started beating him with a squid on a stick I'd bought for him, tryin' to be nice an all, and it slipped out of my hand and hit someone who was passing by. He had this really expensive suit on and started threatening me an Jariya, sayin' he'd beat us up if we didn't pay for it."

"Squid on a stick...?" Loor questioned. She shrugged it off, nodding for him to go on.

"Well, Jariya got up and used this... I don't know, some jutsu on him, knocked him all the way out of the building we were in and into a balloon stand across the way. Jariya bought all the stock we didn't destroy as an apology for destroying it."

"I wasn't just being courteous, kid." Jariya glanced back. "These balloons are going to be a big part of your new training... And Loor, you're not allowed to help him at all once he gets started. I want him to figure out all the tricks on his own."

"Help him?" Loor said, letting go of Naruto's arm as they left the city's walls behind. Away from the crowded streets, she'd be okay. "How can I help him when I'm a few hundred steps below him as a shinobi?"

"You're smart." Jariya shrugged. "That's enough for me to warn you off of helping him."

She sighed a little bit, shaking her head. "Whatever. What's this jutsu anyway?"

Jariya was leading them up the steep side of the 'bowl' the city was built into, turning to the side when it gave way to grassy bluffs and fenced off cliffs, a steep fall into the bowl and a great view of the city below. There were a few trees around, but it was mostly soft grass.

"Rasengan."

Naruto's usual smile came back at the name. "Alright, let's do this training Pervy-sage!"

Loor glanced between the boys as Jariya put the bag of balloons down, reaching in and picking out a blue water balloon with yellow stars on it. "Alright then Naruto." He smirked at the boy. "Catch."

Jariya tossed the water balloon at him and Naruto caught it, fumbling not to drop it. Loor giggled slightly.

"Hey, Jariya, can I have one too?"

Jariya raised an eyebrow. "Loor, this is still a little beyond you. Actually, I highly doubt Naruto is gonna get this one, and that's after he's summoned Gamabunta. You ought to just sit it out."

She glared at him. "Don't tell me what I can't do or what not to try, just toss me a freakin' balloon and let me fail on my own."

Jariya sighed, shaking his head and reaching into the bag again. He drew out two balloons; a beige one he kept in his hand and a green one he tossed to Loor. "Knock yourself out... but I'm tellin' ya this is beyond you."

"Uh... Pervy-sage?" Naruto piped up. "How in the world is a water balloon going to help me learn what you did to that guy back in the city?"

"The water balloon isn't going to help you. Learning how to pop it is."

"Eh?" Loor snorted. "That's an easy thing to do Jariya. You throw it at someone." She said this while tossing her green balloon up and catching it over and over again.

"Loor, I'm talking about doing it with chakra alone." Jariya smirked as her cocky smile started to fade at the mention of chakra. "Now then, Naruto, in this training you're going to have to remember things you've already learned. First, think of the tree-walking exercise. Kakashi taught you that, right?"

Both Loor and Naruto nodded. "Yeah, he taught us how to accumulate and maintain chakra at the bottoms of our feet to walk up buildings, walls, anything pretty much, even hang from the ceiling."

"Good. And the walking on water technique I taught you, Naruto? What points did we cover there?"

Naruto had to think for a few moments as Loor lowered her head. Walking on water was something she hadn't learned yet.

"Oh, I remember!! It's about releasing a constant amount of energy so you don't fall in, and changing it all the time to adept to the flow under your feet!"

"Wow, you're not a dim as I thought you were." Jariya smirked. "Well, you're going to need to use what you've learned from that and take it to the next step. Watch."

Jariya stood and held his hand out, palm up, with his beige balloon in his hand. Naruto and Loor watched the balloon carefully.

Loor felt Jariya building up chakra, as did Naruto, and almost jumped as she saw the skin of the balloon start to stretch and spike out in several directions, the movement slow at first and then getting more and more violent. After a second, the balloon suddenly burst. Loor expected to get soaked, but most of the water misted into the air, only a few drops falling down to the grass with the shattered pieces of the balloon.

"Holy--" Loor stopped herself from swearing. "How did you do that?!"

Jariya smirked. "Loor, Naruto, come here."

Both teens closed in as Jariya helped himself to another water balloon. He held it out again as he did before, this one purple. "Touch it." He commanded.

Both did so, and both looked surprised.

"The water is moving inside...!"

"Spinning!"

"Exactly." Jariya smiled. "You accumulate and maintain chakra in your hand, release a constant amount, and then create a flow with it to burst the balloon." He put the purple balloon away again. "But this is only the first step of three to learning the Rasengan, which is a high level jutsu the forth Hokage himself made and took three years to learn and perfect."

Loor was wowed, but Naruto burst out laughing.

"Three years? To pop a balloon? I'll have this done in three seconds!"

"Oh really?" Jariya seemed entertained. "How about this, you go and try to pop your balloon..." He drew something like a bottle out of the pack. "And I'll go take a nap."

Loor could smell that the contents of the bottle had to be alcohol.

"Don't plan on it being too long, Pervy-sage!" Naruto grinned. "I'm gonna do this and then I'm gonna teach Loor, you just watch!"

"Sure kid..." Jariya went to one of the few trees, leaning back and beginning on his drink. "Wake me when you get it."

* * *

No, Loor will not learn the Rasengan. That's something special to Naruto, and she doesn't have the elements on her side to learn it either way.

So the person who was about the complain that I'd be making Loor a Sue if she learned Rasengan, get your angry fingers away from the fucking keyboard.

Okay? Okay. I'm a bitch when I'm sleepy.

No ownage.

Lyra promises not to kill anyone if you review. (Yes, this will be on the end of every chapter. Complaining does nothing.)


	18. Suspicion

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Eighteen- Suspicion**

"Fury!"

When called out, she jumped. "Huh?" Fury gave; coming out of the nap she'd taken in the sun with the dogs, waiting for training to be over. After a few seconds and a yawn, she saw Kiba waving her over and felt Akamaru tugging on the end of her hospital robe, Schizo licking her face to try to wake her up.

"C'mon, or it's gonna be dark and the hospital people are going to have my head for gettin' you back late."

Fury laughed a little, managing her feet and coming up to Kiba just as the rest of his team departed. Asuma's team and Sakura had already dispatched.

"I'm sorry." He said as they started walking. "Leavin' you alone like that... but Kurenai don't want you gettin' hurt."

"It's okay. I'm used to being alone." She assured, shrugging as the two dogs trotted after them, seeming to have a conversation of their own. "Kinda the story of my life, bored and alone... or scared and alone, take your pick."

"Scared?" He nudged her gently, chuckling. "You? Never."

"Says the person who's seen my reaction to thunderstorms."

"Says the person who has the same reaction to thunder as I do."

They stared at each other for a few seconds before laughing. "You realize you just called yourself a bit of a scardy, Kiba?"

"I don't get scared during thunderstorms." He smirked. "I just get started by the noise is all. It's perfectly normal."

"For a dog."

"I _am_ a dog."

Akamaru and Schizo both barked, putting their two cents in.

"Just like I'm a kitty cat!" Fury smirked. "_Meow." _

Kiba raised an eyebrow at her. "If you're a cat and I'm a dog, you know what that means, right?"

She giggled. "No, what?"

"I have to chase you!"

Fury didn't have more than two seconds before she was on the run, Kiba behind her, both of them howling with laughter with their dogs following and making an equal ruckus. They were both huffing by the time they got back to the hospital, Fury having been caught several times and the punishment being a vigorous tickling. The nurses would protest such activity by a patient in her condition... but something of her beaming smile kept them quiet and smiling a bit themselves.

* * *

Kiba took it upon himself again to help her eat when a nurse brought dinner around for Fury, staying with her with a constant smile playing on his face after dinner was done and the tray was taken away.

"Hey, Kiba."

"Hm?"

"What's with the tattoos on your face?"

Kiba, like a confused dog, cocked his head to one side before suddenly going. "Oh, those tattoos!" he gave, realizing she was talking about the two red upside down triangles on his face. "They're a family mark. Everyone in the Inuzuka family gets 'em."

"So when you get married your wife is gonna have to get 'em?"

"Yeah, I guess." Kiba shrugged. "Never really thought about that... Heh, shows how far I think ahead. I don't think about them that often because I got mine when I was a baby."

Fury winced. "Yowch..."

"Hey, I don't remember." He chuckled, reaching down on the bed to pet Akamaru and then scratch Schizo. "Though I guess... when I do get with someone down the line, they're gonna have to get the marks... that's gonna hurt. It almost makes me feel sorry."

She shrugged. "Well, if someone loves you a little pain is a small price to pay."

He looked back up at her, a smiled a little bit, one of his fangs showing. "Heh... you know Fury, you're alright for a girl."

"I would hope so, seeing as you've already kissed me!" She giggled, lifting a foot up, out from under Schizo, and putting it against his head as if she meant to kick him. "It would really suck for you to say I wasn't okay after macking with me!"

Kiba grabbed her foot, pushing it up and away from him, chuckling. "Actually, I think you kissed me first."

She growled at him, lifting her other foot and aiming to actually kick him. He grabbed her foot though, pinning one between his head and his shoulder and grabbing the other with one hand, the other hand going to drag a few talons up the ticklish bottom.

Fury started screaming and laughing, wiggling and kicking out at him. "Kiba!! Lemme go!!"

"Give me a good reason!" He gave with a grin. "Quick before I give your foot to Akamaru."

She lifted up her head. "What's Akamaru gonna do with it?"

"This." Kiba pinned her foot back to the bed. At once, Akamaru tottered over and started licking her toes, which brought on a whole new bout of squealing.

"Ah! Okay, uncle! Uncle! I give!"

He laughed at her, letting go of both feet and leaning back in his chair as she righted herself in her bed. Both dogs reclaimed her as a good thing to sleep against, which made him smirk.

"It's funny... Schizo's bonded to you even though you can't pet her. You can hardly show physical affection and she likes you so much."

Fury looked down at the small female curled up against her foot. "Yeah... I found it a little odd too. All I do is sit here... but that seems good enough for her."

He looked at her after she said that, but said nothing. He just smiled; pulling the chair he was in closer to her and nuzzling under her chin. She laughed a little bit, rubbing her head against his.

"I think she's just happy I'm here..." She muttered.

"Yeah, I am."

* * *

"Pervy-sage!!"

Jariya yawned, cracking his eyes open to sun-set light and Naruto's face right up by his, Loor standing back and once again tossing her green water balloon in the air.

"Hm...? What Naruto? You pop it already?"

"No!" Naruto growled, glaring. "I can hardly get it going... what am I doing wrong?"

Jariya shook a little drowsiness out of his brain, sitting up a bit better and looking at Naruto. "Hm... tell me, when you make the flow which way do you see the water going?"

"Eh?"

"Clockwise or counter clockwise?" The white haired man pressed. "Trust me, this is important."

"Counter clockwise." Naruto answered. "Why?"

Jariya glanced over at Loor, who hadn't burst in with her answer. It surprised him, and he at once raised an eyebrow at her. Hadn't she been trying too?

She glanced at him twice, huffed, and tossed her balloon up before snatching it out of the air, her hand quick and almost violent. "I can't even get a flow going..."

Jariya shook his head at her, turning his attention back to Naruto. "You know how your body makes chakra, right?"

"Hmm...?" Naruto frowned. "No... I just know it comes from physical and spiritual energy. Who cares how the body makes it?"

"It's important." Jariya assured. "Your body has a chakra network, and at the core is something like a coil where physical energy and spiritual energy are brought together to make chakra. Some people have their coil going clock wise, others counter clock wise, but with a jutsu like this you can't go against your own natural rotation or you'll negate your own energy."

"Oh!" Naruto gave. "Why didn't you say that in the first place? And how do you tell if you're clockwise or counter clockwise?"

Jariya motioned his hand. "Bend your head, lemme see."

Loor watched at Naruto did as he was told and Jariya examined the top of Naruto's head. "Yep, your a clockwise kid."

"Whoa, how do you tell??" Loor yelped. "All you did was look at his hair."

"That's all you have to do." Jariya smirked. "You can tell by which way your hair whorls from its roots as it grows. C'mere Loor, lemme see you."

She slowly came up and bent her head.

"Heh, you're clockwise too. I knew you two were just a little too alike."

Loor lifted her head up quickly and took a look at Jariya's big bushy crop of white hair.

"You're counter-clockwise... right?"

Jariya nodded. "Right. See, you're not completely hopeless."

Loor took her choice view of Jariya's head to quickly throw her balloon at it. It popped on the top of his head, getting him all wet.

"Hey!"

Loor smirked, backing off and giggling. "It's been fun guys, but I'm gonna go back to the hotel."

Jariya, despite being mad about being wet, gave her a sudden skeptic look, as did Naruto. "All by yourself?"

"Yeah... I mean, no way of handling fear unless you face it head on, right?" She gave them a smile, flexing her bicep as if it were a show of toughness. "Come on guys, you know I can take care of myself."

"You sure you don't want me to come with you?" Naruto offered. "I mean, I can come back to this, and it doesn't take that long to--"

"I'm _fine_ boys." She began to glare a little, a show that if they weren't going to just believe her she was going to pound belief into their skulls.

Jariya backed off, but Loor saw Naruto's suspicion.

She couldn't help that... telling Naruto where she was really going would be disaster.

She quickly learned she was insane for wanting to go back to the city on her own. Even at sun set it was bustling and crammed. She felt her fear at once, pulling her green coat tight up to her body and clutching herself, trying to be invisible while scooting along walls and staying away from people, always looking up to make sure she was going the right way to the hotel. She didn't want to stay on the streets any longer than she had to.

She whimpered every time someone looked at her, bumped her, or if she had to cross a street. It was several moments of agony and anxiety before she made it back to the safety of the hotel, getting in quickly and giving a nervous smile to the person behind the registration counter.

Now... Gaara.

The room number was 325, if her memory served her properly. On some odd form of irony it was the room one floor up from the one she, Naruto, and Jariya were currently lodged in; 225.

She stared at the door for a few seconds before she knocked on it, standing back so the eyehole could view her regardless of her small size.

She could hear movement on the other side, could feel someone looking at her, and then smiled as the door opened.

On the other side was Kankuro in a netted shirt and black pants. He wasn't wearing his hood, so his copper hair was allowed to see the light of the late day. His feet were bare, his shoes along with another set that had to be Gaara's sitting near the door. He was washed of his purple face paint too, making him look somewhat normal.

"Loor." He greeted. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes."

She laughed a little, leaning up to give the taller fourteen year old a hug. "Don't get too chummy on me man, I might think your family actually likes me."

He smirked, picking her up as if she was as light as a feather and depositing her in the hotel room, shutting the door. "I know at least one part of my family does."

Loor glanced deeper into the hotel room, but it would seem they had spent the money on a freakin suite so she couldn't see Gaara from where she was standing. On the other hand... as Loor had heard it, the sand sibs were pretty much royal born; they had the money to spend on the snazzy, and extra cash to keep the registration man nice and quiet.

"Where's Temari?" Loor asked.

"She should be back pretty soon... she made a run back to Konoha--"

"Another one?" Loor asked. "I saw her the first time she was there, talking to Shikamaru."

"Really? She didn't mention you."

"She didn't see me. I saw her though. I... heard Gaara's apology."

"He's been saying sorry for everything lately." Kankuro frowned a bit. "His behavior has been all over the place since we left. Sometimes he's apologetic and actually tires starting conversations... other times, he's his old self. I'm still trying to figure out which is better."

"He needs human connection." Loor said quickly. "Those connections will save him, Kankuro."

He laughed a little at her. "Then would you kindly take your shoes off and go save my brother? He's been sitting on his bed staring out the window for you all day long."

Loor sighed... Gaara's behavior was that of an addict's coming of withdrawal and figuring out what exactly made them become addicted in the first place, what their addiction was replacing in their life.

How fucked up was it that she _knew_ that? That she understood that? She felt both her emotional attachment to the redhead and her intense need to save him from himself as she took off her shoes and entered the main of the hotel room.

There were two beds in the room, and someone had tucked a blanket under the mattresses of both so that it would hang between like a strange hammock. She was guessing this was Kankuro's way of making a third bed for himself. Gaara, dressed in soft pants alone sat up in one of the beds. His red hair was wild, as if he had been running his hands through it every five seconds and tossing it all over the place, and his eyes were off into the distance. His body was like a rag doll that had been thrown into the corner; this leg bent a little that way, that leg straight, that hand up and the fingers lazily curled, the other hand sitting in his lap.

And against his snowy skin was that huge burn, the blemish of the Chidori.

"Gaara?" She asked, shrugging her coat off of her shoulders. It pained her... his mind had to be a mess right now. He had to feel so...

So helpless.

His eyes moved away from the wall, swinging over to her. Once he noticed who he was looking at they became less distant and a little life came into them.

"Loor." He greeted.

Kankuro, standing at the other end of the room, watched with a slight smirk as she quickly crawled onto the bed to carefully embrace him. Finding such a soft hug inadequate she kissed his forehead, then his cheek, and gently his lips.

"Hey, Loor, before you and Gaara start _eating _ each other, I'd like to give him a fresh set of bandages. We gotta keep those burns covered, but he wouldn't let me touch him before when he was all distant. Sand kept coming up."

Loor looked back at Kankuro, and then noted Gaara's gourd in the corner of the room. There was a little loose sand around it, more proof that Gaara wasn't exactly right in the head if he wasn't being particularly neat with his tools. "Right." She nodded, looking at Gaara. "Is that okay with you?"

Gaara's brain still seemed to be a little behind, but he nodded.

God, he was alright in the baths today... why was he so out of it now? Perhaps being given time to think? Or just being left alone? Loor tried not to think about it as Kankuro went to get some first-aid stuff.

Once he came to the bed with bandages they got started. Kankuro put ointment on the main burn and some sort of disinfectant cream on opened blisters before getting Loor to sit behind Gaara and beginning with the bandage. Kankuro started it on the base of Gaara's chest, handing it to Loor when it went behind him, and Loor would pass it back forward on the other side. The bandage went up his chest to cover all the blisters, going diagonal from under one arm to up by his neck for a few rounds before wrapping the shoulder where the Chidori hit. If Gaara felt any pain, he didn't express it, just sitting there.

It was at this point that Loor realized what had to be going on for him to be so distant; He was talking to Shukaku! She had almost forgotten about the demon, but the sand raccoon still existed. Shukaku... of course, as insistent as any addiction, as crazy, and just as willing to drive an addict to death. No wonder Gaara was acting so flat.

As they finished the bandage Kankuro snipped it and used some sticky stuff to hold the loose end in place instead of taking extra to tie it off.

At this point, Gaara woke up a little more.

"_Nii-san... Arigato." _

Kankuro looked back at his little brother, nodding a little bit. _"Hai." _

Loor sighed. "I do speak another language... but Japanese isn't it."

"What is it?" Kankuro smirked.

"_Ich spreche Deutsch!" _ She smiled as Kankuro's face told her he had no idea what she said. "Heh... _Salat Kopf." _

Loor felt Gaara leaning back into her, and looked at him as he leaned his head up to see her. "What does that mean...?" He asked, still a little distant.

"_Auf English?" _ She laughed. "I called your brother a salad head."

The middle sand sibling gave Loor a funny look. "What the heck is that supposed to mean??"

She shrugged. "Ta hell if I know."

Kankuro shook his head, sighing. "Whatever... I gotta go answer the call of nature. If you two are trying to eat each other again when I get back you're _so_ dead."

Loor giggled as Kankuro quickly preformed transformation to make himself look like an ebony haired adult and leave the room. "Better bring your implement of destruction with you when you get back, _Kinky-Kun!" _

Gaara gave Loor a look when the door closed. "Kinky?"

"What?" She laughed. "Temari treats him like he's perv... he might as well have a nickname to go with it."

"You cannot live without nicknames, can you?"

"Not really..." She leaned her head down to kiss his forehead again. "Ga-Ga-Kun." She teased, using a nickname Temari had made for Gaara when he was a baby.

He growled at her, glaring. _"Kuro." _ He returned, a nickname he'd given her meaning 'Trouble,' different from its cousin _'Kuso' _ meaning 'Shit.'

"So you're back with us?" She asked, stroking his soft red hair.

"Till Shukaku decides he needs to speak to me again... he has been acting rather strange of late."

"Strange?"

"As if he wishes to befriend me... it is... odd."

"Yeah, no shit." She hugged him to her, putting her nose into his hair. "It's okay though... right? He's not hurting you right now?"

"I think he knows I am hurt enough."

Loor's eyes drifted to the new bandages, brushing her hand over his shoulder tenderly. "Yeah... or he wants something else."

Loor worried. Shukaku suddenly befriending his host did not bode well in her mind. It made her think of another event; one of the few times she'd come in direct contact with Shukaku.

Once, Shukaku had admitted to finding her interesting... in a very beastly way. Had he the power at the time, she was sure the demon would have fondled her. It was just a hunch, but perhaps Shukaku wanting Gaara on his side was a sign that Gaara's biological clock was catching up with his demon's lust... and Shukaku wanted Gaara in position to use him to get what he wanted.

"What else could Shukaku want?" He asked.

"I don't know." Loor lied. "He's a demon. What do you think?"

* * *

Few more updates people. Sure you don't want to ration these chapters out over the next few days? I will be gone for a month. Might wanna read over a few days to make it last longer... or you might wanna read it all. I know once I sit down I have a tough time stopping.

Oh well.

No ownage.

Review if you like the Loor Gaara pairing! XD


	19. Dreams

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Nineteen- Dreams**

_...It's so dark..._

_Wait... oh god... please not again. Not again. _

_No... I feel it all... but I don't to... get it away from me!! _

_Wait... where am I?_

_Konoha? The streets..._

_Fury!! _

_Oh god... god no, leave her alone! Stay away from her!_

"_FURY!! Orochimaru, get away from her!!" _

_I... I can't move fast enough. Everything... is... spinning..._

_Please... don't kill her... she's all I have left... she's all I've got._

_She's all I've got left._

"_Just kill me already, damn it!! Stop killing _ _**them, ** _ _kill _ _**me!** _ _" _

_God... he moves too damn fast... he gets behind me so quickly._

"_What fun is there in that, Loor? I rather watch you writhe in pain as I torture you." _

_God... so sick. I feel... so sick..._

"_You disgust me!!" _

_I can't pull away... why can't I? _

_His hand. My mark. The pain!! _

"_It's too easy to torture you, amusing... but it will not end here. Just wait for me to come back for you, Loor. When you've gotten stronger, I'll come back for you, and use you. You will become exactly what I want you to be. I will control you."  
_ _  
Lash out. Kill him. Lash out. Murder him. _

_Damn him! Satan take him! God get rid of him! Why does this man exist?!_

"_I will never be controlled by anyone! I am free! I control myself!!" _

_The pain! God, help me, I can't stand it! I see it... Fury's dead body. Mom's. Dad's. Anne's. Paul's. All in a pile. So sick. So painful. _

_So terrifying. _

"_You _ _**will** _ _ be controlled. I _ _**will ** _ _control you." _

_I retch._

* * *

Loor's awakening was violent, and slightly sick. She left the room quickly with a hand over her mouth to get to the bathroom down the hall, which she hardly made. Whatever she'd eaten in the past days, which wasn't much, was no longer in her system.

Once that episode was over she returned to the room. She had left Gaara in time to get back to her hotel room thus not to make Jariya suspicious of her as well, and once she came back she realized Naruto had returned even though his return was rather late. Her waking up and leaving had hardly bothered the blond youth though, so she dropped back down next to him and tried to return to sleep.

This was easier said than done.

Her nightmares were twisting, changing, for the worse. Now, instead of doting upon Loor's memories they exploited her fears for the future. Her fears of what could happen to Fury... what she wanted to happen to her.

Yes... she almost wanted Orochimaru to put her out of her misery.

* * *

Ino stared in horror at her mirror, her mouth slightly agape.

Her eyes had hurt through the whole day, through all of training, and as much as she thought it a trick of the mind her vision had gotten duller and duller. Now, in the middle of the night, she sat on her bed and looked at her mirror to stare in fear at her world.

Her world... in shades of gray. Hundreds of shades of gray.

"Dang you Kiba..." She muttered, a silver tear going down her face. Her eyes, now looking a pale gray the way she saw them, saw the shine of the water on her face. "Stupid dog! Putting dangerous chemicals in his smoke bombs!"

Ino had to face it... she was colorblind. She'd watched all of it fade through the whole day, but didn't want to believe it. She didn't want to believe that she was no longer perfect, that her world was no longer beautiful colors.

And tomorrow she'd have to go have dinner at Shikamaru's house, and the night after she'd have to go to Choji's family. Asuma really knew how to make a bad day worse! How was she gonna tell the team? Could she even stay a shinobi if she was colorblind??

Maybe it was temporary... maybe it would go away after a few weeks.

She broke down some more, tears going down her face quickly. She reached to the end of her bed cover to wipe her eyes, but she remembered the vibrant yellow the bedspread used to be, with bright pink flowers, both colors now reduced to about the same shade of gray, the only distinction to where the flowers were by their black outline.

"Why me...?" She muttered, flopping onto her bed and pushing her head into a pillow. "Why do bad things have to happen to me?"

First she cut her beautiful hair to show up Sakura, and now her eyes... her beautiful perfect eyes...

She felt damaged. She felt broken.

She never wanted to get out of bed again. Sasuke would never want her now.

* * *

When Fury woke up in the morning she found that Kiba was still at her side, his head on the bed, snoozing. It made her laugh and want to reach out to him and ruffle his brown hair, but attempting to do so reminded her that her hands were out of commission. She sighed at the damage, shaking her head.

She also frowned at the dream she just left. Better put... the nightmare.

She tried to shake it off. Just a dream, she told herself. Just a dream.

_Yeah, just a dream of someone's mangled and dead corpse. _

Fury frowned at herself, closing her eyes and trying to shut her thoughts down. The body... it hadn't been mangled, but it had been dead. It was a single wound, actually. Right through the stomach, ran through by some sort of sword.

But the body was still dead. Still incredibly and inevitably dead.

But who had it been? The person had looked older than her, at least seven years. Maybe it was the body of someone she knew, or just a figment of Fury's imagination...

Fury shivered, opening her eyes to look at the window and the sunny day outside, hoping the light coming in would take her mind off of the chill going through her.

About five seconds later the door opened. Fury, still paranoid, jumped a little before noting it was just a nurse with breakfast.

"Did I wake you?" She asked sweetly, smiling. Fury hadn't seen her face before, but she was usually sleeping when she was at the hospital so she hadn't seen a lot of the faces.

"N-no..." Fury shook her head a bit, looking down at Kiba who was still sleeping. "Just got up on my own, actually."

"Oh, I see." The nurse was wheeling over the little table to put the tray of food on, then pushing it over so it would sit over Fury's chest. "Do you want me to help you eat or should I wake your boyfriend here?"

Fury giggled a little. "I think I can wake him myself." She looked over at the brown haired boy passed out near her knee on the edge of her bed, then at the two brown and white puppies that were sleeping by her feet. Gently, she nudged Akamaru with her toes. After a few seconds the dog got up with a stretch and a yawn.

"Akamaru," Fury was smirking. "You and your sister wake Kiba for me, please?"

Akamaru looked at Fury for a moment before turning to Schizo and tugging on her ear. It took a moment but the female pup started moving and looked about. Akamaru shifted his gaze to Kiba while growling at his sister. After a few moments they both trotted across the bed spread to Kiba and at some signal both bit into his ears and pulled.

Fury giggled at Kiba shot up, swearing.

"Ack, Fury, you didn't tell them to do that did you?!"

The nurse started giggling now.

"I might have, but it's not like I can eat on my own." She grinned at him, jade eyes winking a bit.

He growled slightly, then sighed, nodding at the nurse and then scooting up his chair to help Fury after stretching the kink out of his back from sleeping bent over. It was at this point he finally looked at what he was helping Fury eat.

"Hold up a sec... this is way more than they usually give you."

"I noticed you spent the night and that the dogs usually ate the leftovers." The nurse gave with a giggle. "I wrote up that I was serving three instead of one."

Fury looked at the portions. Kiba was right. She then looked at the white clad nurse and smiled. "_Domo Arigato." _

"You're quite welcome." The nurse gave a slight bow. "Dr. Sumeyo likes you much more than your older sister, and I can see why."

Fury rolled her eyes. "She's got a bit of a chip..."

Kiba snickered. "A bit? Blondie is just straight up crazy."

"She needs to see a therapist." The nurse said, shaking her head. "If you need anything else I'll be around now and then, and Sumeyo should see you some time today to check on how you're healing."

"But I plan to take her out again today." Kiba gave, frowning a little, grabbing the chopsticks that had come with the meal.

"I'll try and see if Sumeyo can see her before noon, but please leave Fury here till then."

Fury nodded. "I'm sure Kiba can handle that..." Her eyes snaked over to the dog boy. "Right?"

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

* * *

"Hey, Naruto!"

The addressed glanced up when his name was called to see Loor walking up with a tray. The hotel they were at provided free breakfast, buffet style. Loor had helped herself to a bowl of rice as a morning meal, where Naruto had a bowl of rice and something else from the rest of the food groups. Actually he had heaped it on, and Loor expected he was getting ready for a long day of training.

"Hey Loor. How are you doing?"

She shrugged, sitting down and separating her chopsticks, sighing slightly. She missed having a fork. "Pretty good. Yourself?"

"Okay." He grabbed his own chopsticks. Loor noted at this time that Naruto was still in his nightclothes. He even still had his odd nightcap on. "My hand hurts a bit... and I still haven't popped the balloon yet. I'm gonna go out again today to see if I can get it..." He trailed. "You wanna come with? You could give it another go."

She laughed a bit, picking up some of the sticky rice and managing to get it to her mouth. "You kiddin? You know I can't learn it yet. I couldn't even get my water to slosh around. At least you can get yours to spin. Maybe after you teach me the walk on water thing I'll try again."

"Well I could tell you how to do shadow clones while I try again." He gave, his big blue eyes pressing at her. "C'mon, I could explain it to you I bet!"

Loor suddenly got the tone in his voice. Just out of bed she hadn't been picking it up till his second attempt at trying to get her to come with.

He must have felt very lonely out there when Jariya came in before him. At once Loor felt herself tearing down the middle. Naruto had faced loneliness for so long, and she didn't want to be just another person to turn him away. But...

Gaara... He was just the same, was he not? Lonely, needing her to be there and not be just another person to blow him off.

God damn it she couldn't be two places at once!!

Wait a second...

"Hey, Naruto, what exactly is it that shadow clones do again?"

He broke out into a sudden grin. "They make solid clones of you that act, walk, talk, look, and sound just like you. They act on their own too, and I usually argue with mine if it's outside of a fight... I know it's supposed to be a real high level jutsu but it's not much harder than making images of yourself if you remember making dopplegangers."

Loor felt herself duck slightly in her chair, eating a bit more rice. "Um... I never..."

"Gai's team didn't teach you?! Sasuke was supposed to if they didn't! Dopplegangers are one of the most basic jutsu in the whole book."

"I suck at anything that uses chakra, alright!" Loor growled over the table. "I stick with hand to hand combat."

"Eh... Loor, you have to use chakra in advanced taijutsu too. I guess Lee didn't mention that because his is concentrated permanently all over his body, but people with normal chakra usage have to manipulate it while using taijutsu if they ever want to hold up."

She snorted, shaking her head. "Gah, there's no escaping it, is there?"

He smirked. "Not really, believe it!" With that, he set his chopsticks properly in his hand and went to pick up some rice.

She blinked as his chopsticks fell out of his hand. "Eh... what's up with you man?"

He was also blinking at his hand, cocking his head to one side. Slowly he picked them up again, once again attempting to eat. Once again, his fingers went through a tremor and dropped the sticks. "I... don't know... My hand is shaking for some reason, its weak and I can't hold it steady."

"You need to keep your strength up for training." She gave, leaning over the table. "Here, don't eat with your hands, lemme help you."

He stopped, as he was about to reach into the rice bowl with his hand to exactly what she told him not to do. "But Loor--"

"Don't but me." She growled, getting up and sitting on his side of the table. "You forced your fingers into my mouth on the way from Konoha, the least I can do is humiliate you by feeding you in a public place."

She seized his chopsticks and shoved food into his mouth before he could protest again. "Don't argue; eat."

She'd have to go and tell Gaara she'd see him later in the day... and then she'd learn how to be in two places at once.

* * *

I'm beginning to look forward to seeing Loor deal with Tanzuku city. I mean, with her phobia of cities and all... Heh.

No ownage.

Reviews keep God from killing kittens.


	20. Issues

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Twenty- Issues**

"Shadow clones are solid copies of yourself. They walk, talk, and act just like you, and will run off of your chakra as long as you have energy for them to leech off of you."

Loor and Naruto stood out where Naruto had been training before. Jariya had sent them with a few balloons and then took off somewhere else for 'gathering information' as it were. It was still morning, though not so early that the heat wasn't already coming, and Naruto stood in front of Loor in teacher mode while Loor stood with her usual strong posture.

"Different from basic jutsu," Naruto continued, "Shadow clones don't just use the usual twelve animal signs to shape your chakra. They use a special hand sign that after a lot of practice you won't have to use anymore. At least... I think so. I still have to use the sign." He made an example of the sign.

Loor raised one eyebrow. She wanted to ask 'how does making funny shapes with my fingers help shape energy?' but kept the question in her brain. She'd seen how hand signs affected jutsu before, and felt it herself. She didn't have to understand the sign for her body to understand it.

So she copied him after studying his hands for a bit.

"After that, you make the usual signs, dog-monkey-ram, for dopplegangers, and go back to the first sign unique to shadow clones."

Once again Naruto showed with his own hands, and Loor followed. Her hands were clumsy though, knuckles bumping into each other as she tried to change signs quickly.

"Slow down, you're not in a fight, you don't have to do it as fast as I do, believe it!"

"Are you sure you wanna show me this instead of teaching me dopplegangers first?" Loor questioned. "I mean, what if I really screw up?"

"Loor, if I can learn it I'm sure you'll get it easy. I never mastered normal dopplegangers myself."

_That_ was comforting. Maybe that's why he argued with his clones.

"What happens if a clone is struck? It doesn't effect you, does it?" She had cocked her head to the side as a bit more sun came onto the landscape, getting to her eyes.

"No." He pulled out one of the balloons they had and started tossing it absently. "It just puffs out like someone lit a smoke bomb. It takes a bit of energy from you, but so does dispelling them on your own so it doesn't really matter. Sometimes its fun to punch 'em yourself!" He grinned. "One time, Jariya was trying to get me to use up all my chakra and so I made a whole bunch of shadow clones and fought them all to exhaust myself! That was so much fun, believe it!"

... _Punching yourself is fun? _ She shook her head. "Anyway, on with the lesson."

"Right, right!" He put the water balloon back into his pocket. "You take your stance, gather your chakra..." He began to do so for her to serve example. Loor watched as the energy he brought up got to be a massive amount, actually causing a disturbance in the air around him, fluffing his hair and making a swirl of his blue energy round his body.

"Naruto... that's a lot..." She said, stepping back. "Isn't that a bit... excessive?"

"Nope!" He chirruped. "Now pay attention." He was grinning, head slightly bent as he held his energy in rein. "Push your energy out to your skin, one layer for every clone you want to make, the thicker the layer the more the clone can take in combat and the more life like they are. Make sure you can feel it everywhere, down to your toes, or the clone will be bad!" He did what he was describing and the blue energy waved out again, seeming to exceed his body for the amount.

Loor had to remind herself that Naruto did have the Kyuubi, which like Shukaku was a pure mass of chakra at the disposal of his host.

"Make all your layers like that..." He bit his lip, the air around him becoming more turbulent. "And push them out!"

A large burst of dust went out from Naruto, making Loor cough and squint.

She opened her eyes when someone tapped on her shoulder. She looked, and saw Naruto behind her, grinning.

She turned and saw seven other Narutos behind her and grinning.

She quickly turned a three sixty and nearly gaped. There were at least forty clones all around her; no telling which one was the original. They were all vibrant and full of life, and all of them contained the same amount of chakra, which was the way you usually told an illusion from the real person in a fight when dopplegangers were used.

But all of these... they were solid. They were real.

"W-wow..." She felt like she was in the middle of a magic show.

"Wanna see a cool trick?" They all asked at once.

"You're saying this one isn't pretty cool on it's own?"

All the Narutos looked at each other, grinning and giggling. Suddenly, all of them sank into posture for making hand signs again.

"_HAREM JUTSU!!" _

Remember Naruto's Sexy Jutsu? Well, this was a lot like it; only instead of just one naked girl there were forty naked girls.

Loor blinked twice, and then grinned. "Now that just kicks ass."

After that, Loor got on with learning it. Like everyone else who tries something new she failed several times before she got anything with any semblance to being human. Naruto kept telling her she had to perfect the shell on the inside of her skin before pushing it out, but Loor was never patient and kept jumping the gun when the copy was still imperfect.

And her chakra wasn't like Naruto's. She had a fair share, but not as much as someone who'd been training since they were an ankle biter, or someone who had recently unlocked the power of their demon. Loor's chakra was increasing with every training session she took on, but it was still the mass you'd expect from a ten-year-old shinobi in training.

So she was losing energy quickly. Shadow clones were consuming.

At the same time, Naruto was trying to master bursting the balloon. Both would constantly note the other's progress. Naruto noticed when Loor got a clone that looked mostly like her and didn't collapse under a person's touch. Loor noticed when Naruto's balloon popped a little hole and leaked out its water, but didn't explode.

Both were getting closer to their goals.

At noon they took a break. Sitting in the shade of a tree Naruto looked rather stressed out. He was tossing an un-popped balloon between his two trembling hands while Loor practiced doing hand signs while not bumping her knuckles.

"It won't explode..." Naruto mused. "Why not? I'm doing everything Jariya told me to..."

"He said there was a trick to it." Loor muttered. She didn't speak of her current progress with clones. She could make one that looked just like her and was completely solid... but it wouldn't talk. It was mute and it would seem it was also near sighted. "But I know what you're talkin' about... While you get the water to spin the surface of your balloon is smooth. When Jariya did it, it spiked out in all directions... like--"

"No, stop right there Loor." Naruto cut her off. "Jariya said I had to figure out the trick myself, and I will, believe it."

Loor bit her lip. Honestly, she thought she just got it.

It went out in all directions, not just one. That meant the flow had to be in all directions, not just one. There had to be multiple streams within the balloon, clashing and causing it to burst violently.

That was the trick.

"You got it, don't you?" Naruto asked, laughing slightly. "Man you're like a smart version of me."

"I'm sure you have your moments of brilliance." Loor giggled. "It's not so much being smart as being good at problem solving. Look at a situation, figure it out. Very simple."

"Not for everyone."

"It helps to talk to yourself like you're talking to someone else." Loor smirked, standing up. "The other half of your mind tends to challenge you till you figure it out."

Naruto shrugged. "I dunno... I'd rather talk to real people." He also got up, looking down at his hands. They still shook like they had that morning. "Man... they hurt."

She raised an eyebrow, walking over and grabbing the hand that wasn't occupied by a balloon. She started feeling the hand for damage, but found nothing. As she pressed around she found no stiff muscles, not bruises that he might have winced away from, and no broken bones.

But something else felt bad. Something in the hand felt wrong.

"How does it hurt?"

Naruto shrugged. "Like... it goes cold and then burns when I try to use it."

"Cold like...?"

"Like when your foot falls asleep and you can't feel it? Like that. Only instead of tingling when the blood comes back it hurts like someone stabbed it with something on fire."

Loor frowned. She was no doctor, and had no idea what was going on. Shrugging, she sighed. "I'd say take it easy, but I know you won't."

"Duh, Loor." Naruto chuckled.

"Yeah, yeah." She waved him off. "I'm gonna go back into town real quick."

"Eh?" His blue eyes widened. Loor could sense his fear of being left alone. "Why?"

"I need to pee, retard. Maybe you can go on a bush but girls are kinda cursed with the inability to aim." She snickered, shaking her head. "I'll be right back, alright?" She said this while clapping him on the shoulder, pulling him into a quick hug. "I know being alone sucks."

Naruto smiled a little, nodding. "Yeah. That's what's cool about you Loor, you understand a lot of things."

As Loor was walking away, that stung. It reminded her she just deceived him...

She hated lying to friends. At the gates of the city she created a clone. It was still imperfect, she could tell. When she poked it, it only squeaked. It didn't protest with real words. Either way it looked like the eyesight problem was fixed.

She took her clone by the shoulders. It felt solid, she could feel the chakra in it, see the life behind its eyes. "Okay, buddy... you can count?"

It nodded at her, rolling its eyes.

"Count to one hundred and then go back to Naruto. Act natural, and then lean up against the tree there and pretend to take a nap. When he leaves, follow him back to the hotel room."

It nodded again.

"Very good."

With that, Loor left the clone to count and went into the city, back to the hotel.

Gaara was waiting for her.

* * *

Fury was confused.

She had finally gotten out of the hospital, though Kiba had to leave before her for training. It didn't matter, she knew her way to the grounds. When she got there she found both Kiba's and Ino's team standing there, talking, or better put, yelling at each other. Sakura was also there, and was being very quiet.

Also better put, Ino was fighting with everyone else there.

"Nothing it wrong!" Came Ino's shrill voice. "So stop asking if I'm okay already!"

"We can't help being worried when you're acting funny!" Kiba snapped back at her. "I don't even like you and I'm worried."

Akamaru, on Kiba's shoulder, yipped in agreement.

Schizo, on Fury's shoulder, whined as Fury came closer to this argument.

"I'm not acting funny!" Ino defended. "I didn't do anything strange today! I was on time, _as usual,_ was ready to go, _as usual,_ and don't want to deal with any of you, _as usual!!" _

It was at this point Fury noted the sensei were missing for some odd reason.

Shikamaru stood up to Ino's tirade. "You troublesome person... why are women so loud? Ino, look at what you're wearing."

Ino looked down. "It matches, _as usual." _ She growled.

Fury was noting what was wrong. Ino usually came to training every day in an all purple out fit with white wraps over any extra skin showing. The white wraps were there, but Ino's top was a dark maroon-ish color and the skirt was brown. It didn't look good and it didn't match.

"Ino, come with me." Shikamaru grabbed Ino's hand and started dragging her out of the training area. "Anyone got any markers?"

Everyone followed, and Sakura spoke up. "I got some at home!" She gave, trotting up by Ino. Fury also jogged to catch up to the group.

"Good, you lead the way." Shikamaru growled as Ino tried to worm her hand away.

"Shikamaru, why are you being so insistent? If ya wanted to go out--"

Shikamaru shot a look to Ino that could freeze most people's blood. "You are _so_ stupid."

"Finally, someone notices..." Sakura muttered.

Fury had finally caught up with the tail end of the group, butting Kiba's shoulder. He glanced back, having not noticed her. "Oh, Fury, what's up?"

"I could ask the same." Fury muttered, looking at the trio at the front of the group, Sakura leading. "What's going on?"

"You saw Ino's outfit, right? We're sure something is wrong with her. I think it's about freakin' time she went insane, but it seems Shikamaru has some idea in his head for finding out what's going on. I won't argue with him, that kid is a genius."

"Where are the masters?" She asked next, Kiba scratching Schizo.

"Already left for the morning. Sounds like Ino is spending dinner with Shikamaru's family tonight thanks to Asuma's brilliant idea. I wonder how long Ino is gonna survive in that house without taking a nap."

"It wasn't Asuma's brilliant idea, it was mine." Fury grumbled.

"Really?" Kiba smirked. "Great one. I wanna see what goes down when she has to eat with Choji's family, or when Choji has to eat with hers. Anorexics meet the chubbies, hai?"

Fury giggled, nodding. "Should be interesting."

"Hey, you and I should go out to dinner again." He grinned at her. "You, me, hanging out wherever you wanna go."

"But I don't know any of the places, Romeo." She teased, grinning.

"You've been here two and a half months, you should be learning some of them."

She nodded, thinking. "Hm... you know what I think?"

"Hm?"

"Anywhere we go, the dogs aren't allowed." She leaned her head to the side to nuzzled Schizo. "I feel bad excluding them."

"Hm..." Kiba nodded. "I'll think of something."

At the moment, they'd arrived at Sakura's house. Everyone crowed inside the thin two-story dwelling that was in the main streets of Konoha. Apparently no one was home, and everyone followed Sakura up to her room. Ino was yet to stop complaining about Shikamaru's hand locked around her wrist, something about boy sweat being bad for her skin.

Sakura directed Shikamaru to where the markers where in her room and the paper and took up holding on to Ino so she didn't bolt. She really couldn't. There were four other kids in front of the door keeping her from escaping.

Shikamaru set to work with the markers. When he was done he had made two circles of dots. One was red with a green three of dots among the red dots that were the background. The other was a bright yellow circle with a pink symbol that Fury knew to mean fire, once again done in dots.

"Ino." Shikamaru handed her the paper. "Tell me what you see."

"Two circles, dots." She shrugged. "Why?"

"The first one." Shikamaru said, pointing. "What number is in it?"

"How many dots, you mean? What does that matter? I don't get what you're doing."

"No, there's a number written in the dots using a different color than the circle around it. What is it?"

"Oh." Ino blushed a little. "I knew that. Um..." She bit her lip. "Nine?"

"The circle below that." He directed. "There's a symbol there. What's it say?"

"_Hana?_ " she questioned, the Japanese word for flower.

Shikamaru sighed, shaking his head. "I thought so..."

"What did you think, pineapple head?!" Ino snapped.

"You're color blind."

Fury, along with everyone else there, twitched. How the hell did _that_ happen??

* * *

Ino's color blind!! Sorry, I had wanted to do that for the longest time just cause I hate her the way she is and the only way to begin to change her character is to force an imperfection upon her that she can't ignore. Now Loor gets to play with her! YAY!!

Yes. Fear the pocky induced insanity.

Pocky and chocolate... muhahaha!!

I'll see you punks in a month! Wish me luck in Germany!

BTW, did I get Shikamaru in character? I think I made him a bit too lively...

Reviews like candy!


	21. Connect

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Twenty One- Connect**

"What took you?"

"You're not the only one I save from the jaws of loneliness." Loor was giggling, entering Gaara's hotel room. Kankuro was out and about in the city and though Temari had returned the night before she was still sleeping. Thankfully, Gaara was aware enough to open the door when someone knocked. "Naruto needs a friend too."

Gaara nodded slightly, and Loor noted his condition had improved since last night. Not just physically. When she looked into his eyes he wasn't nearly as distant. On the other hand, it smelled like night sweats were going to make him need another trip to the bathhouse pretty soon.

"You didn't tell him, did you?" The red head questioned as Loor took off her shoes. "About me and my siblings?"

"What do you take me for, a retard?" She shook her head. "No, I didn't tell him. I'm smarter than that."

"I would not mind him knowing." Gaara's eyes frowned, though his mouth didn't curve either way. "The adult with you is the only one who does not need to know."

"Why's Naruto okay?" she questioned as they both went into the main of the hotel room, once again reclining on Gaara's bed. "If you don't remember you two damn near killed each other."

"You and I have nearly killed each other. It changes nothing." Gaara shrugged, his slim shoulders only covered by the bandages for his wound, his lone garment being his pants. "During our fights, we connected. I feel the same way about the fight with Naruto. You both suffered loneliness... you both understand."

"I don't have a demon, Gaara. I don't completely understand."

"Then why do you talk to yourself?" He asked, his mouth now curving down as his eyes neared a smile. He was inquisitive yet smug. "What do you call the mania you speak to? I have seen you talk out loud to it."

"What do I call her? She's me... just a part of me I didn't feel till about a year ago." She shrugged, letting her green coat drop from her shoulders and pool at her elbows. "I know it's my emotions, things I kept away from till I started making friends... but in my head they take a being of their own. Now and then, I call it Lyra, but it's just my emotions arguing with my logical mind." She waved a hand in front of her face, as if saying it was nothing.

"Lyra?" He smirked. "You named your emotions? And yet you say you are not possessed at all?"

"You don't understand how she came to be." She sighed, lying back by his crossed legs, looking up at him. "When I was little... I was alone. For some reason, kids just didn't like me. I'm guessing it was being butch. Way early schooling, like play school, I didn't play dress up with the girls cause I thought it was stupid and boys glared at me when I tried to play in the sand box with them... it just never ended. I got older; people only spoke to me to hurt me. I came to expect their words to be harsh, and reacted with confusion when they were not. Of course, that reaction was laughed at and it was right back to the teasing."

"Did they fear you?"

She noticed that his mouth had flattened again and his eyes had grown serious.

"Some of them. The ones who saw me at my worst."

"Your worst?"

"Some sexist so and so started pushing me around when I was like seven. I took him on and five of his older buddies, all guys. Kicked all their asses in a playground brawl. From then on, all boys I met feared me, and most girls just avoided contact." She sighed. "Before the age of twelve, the only real emotion I felt was rage. If I laughed... it was either I was with my family or I was faking it."

He leaned over her, looking down, smiling slightly.

"You understand perfectly."

She blinked at him, cocking her head. "Do I now?"

"Knowing only rage... wanting to hurt them because they seemed to hate you... my childhood was yours, perhaps more extreme but much the same."

"Yeah, only you could actually kill them."

"You couldn't?"

"Not in a fifteen minuet recess."

They laughed at the dark joke, and Gaara's ice eyes prodded her again. "But Lyra, how did Lyra start?"

"Well... at the age of ten I moved." Loor shrugged. "We left the house I grew up in and moved to where I lived before I came to Konoha. Going somewhere new... no one knew my rep. No one knew my rage. Going back to school, it was pretty much the same so I remained emotionally detached... cept for this one girl. She was the first to reach out. I admit, I'd lash out pretty often if she poked at the wrong time, like if I was reading, but she would have me sit by her, make me laugh... always listen when I said I was sorry."

There was the difference. When Gaara was young his apologies for violence always fell upon deaf ears.

"Age eleven, I started hanging with boys. They were okay with my violence and my sense of humor for the most part, and there was this kid, Ender, I still hang with him, who was fascinated by all the random facts I knew from being a book worm for the first eleven years of my life. I think that's when I started feeling things other than rage."

"Was that it?"

"No." She shook her head. "Lyra took another year before I started talking to her. It took extreme emotions... emotions that I couldn't handle, that confused me. I'd never felt them, or if I did I felt them as anger."

There was a pause. She was thinking.

"But Lyra... Lyra was those emotions. Everything complex and overpowering, that was her, all emotion without the logic needed to survive. We... don't get along well."

"She's your beast." He concluded.

"She's not a demon, Gaara. She's just... a very complex figment of my imagination. I recognize she's not real."

"You talk to her. That makes her real." He argued. "She's your beast."

"I'm not a schizophrenic." She growled, sitting up. "I just... don't get along with my emotions. I don't like feeling them. They make me do things... that are sometimes not right."

"I didn't say you were a schizophrenic. I'm not."

"You actually have something living in you. I'm just... just..."

"A little crazy?"

She pinched her fingers together. "Just a little."

He smirked again. "As I said... you understand perfectly."

She shook her head, frowning. He looked rather... pleasing with that smirk on his face. With his straight posture it was like the ultimate 'because I said so' look. She'd seen that look from him before...

The night after their first kiss, she'd seen that look. Instantly, she was reminded of it, the passionate meeting they'd had that night under the nearly full moon.

She had a full-bodied shudder of resistance from a perverted urge that ran through her mind.

"What was that?" He asked, raising a non-brow.

"That?" Loor chuckled. "That was my mind taking a detour."

He almost snickered. "Your beast trying to talk to you?"

"She doesn't so much talk as she bites. When Lyra's being a bitch I say she's chewing on my head, cause that's about what it feels like."

"And why would she be biting?" He was growing more smug by the second, getting her to admit she practically had a back seat personality thanks to keeping herself from feeling anything before the age of ten.

"Bad thought." Loor once again waved her hand before her face.

"Bad?" He questioned. "I'm curious."

"Ya see, that's what got you in trouble in the first place, buddy. If you never got curious why I wasn't afraid of you, I wouldn't even be sitting here."

"Proof that curiosity is a good thing. Tell me what crossed your mind."

"I... uh..." she felt herself blushing. _Blushing. _ What the hell?! "Had an urge."

He cocked his head.

God, and she thought she was being obvious.

"Never mind it. Its just another part of my insanity."

He leaned forward slightly, closer to her. Loor felt the need to pull back, but she'd probably fall over sideways if she did, so she stood her ground. His ice blue eyes inquired, again, what had crossed her mind as her face got redder and redder.

"You look like a tomato." He observed. "Am I making you nervous?"

That was one way to put it.

"No." She lied. "Just... well... you know I know a lot about various types of affection, right? I mean, I've been teaching you about connecting with people, hugging--"

"Kissing." His smirk finally widened out into a grin, which on his face always had a satanic quality to it. "You were remembering that too?"

"Sorta." She chuckled. "You see, I know a lot more than a girl my age should. Actually, according to the rest of the world I know more than a girl at age eighteen should know, but that's beside the point--"

"You're talking very fast, Loor." He cut her off again, seeming to find her various nervous reactions quite funny. His eyes studied her as the electricity in her eyes crackled and snapped with the occasional twitch of her body, like a scientist finding something fascinating.

"I know!" She growled, moving an inch closer to him to try and intimidate him, but failing. Intimidating Gaara was a hard thing to do. "I'm just trying to explain something."

"You're trying not to tell me what you thought, but I will not be distracted."

There was a pause, and Loor finally hefted a sigh. "I just had the urge to kiss you again... among other things."

"Other things?"

She snickered now, putting a finger over her lips. "I'll never tell Gaara, just like you'll never be distracted, so there."

He nodded slightly, thinking. "So... if you had the urge to kiss me, why didn't you?"

Her electric blue eyes drifted over to Temari, who was still sleeping on the other bed. "There's one reason right there."

"You think she would not approve? She was watching when you said you loved me."

"I know that... it's just a little odd to kiss someone when their big sister is sitting right there."

"It's easy to stop if she wakes up."

God his voice sounded so... innocent, so ignorant, so naïve.

Suddenly, the decision to do it or not was taken from Loor. Quickly, quietly, insistently, Gaara grabbed the bottom of her chin and turned her head back to him and met her in the middle.

Gone were Loor's thoughts of such passionate things being too much for someone as young as them, overpowered instantly but the surprise of being kissed and the urge in her brain. Before she could help herself she put a passive hand on his stomach to push him back. She was crawling over him, holding his lips with hers, endeavoring past, that hand yet to leave his stomach.

That hand, her nimble fingers, played upon his flat stomach instead.

Loor cursed herself in the back of her mind, but the front of her mind was focused upon him, his reactions to where her hand wandered, his hand up in her long blond hair, and everything else to do with him. She wanted her senses to take in everything, know everything, analyze everything, and know the rights and wrongs about showing him affection.

His own hand had copied her, as if conducting his own analysis. Eyes closed, sucking on his lips and giggling as he copied her, she found her lips on his neck, and then nuzzled into his shoulder, aware where her mind was, but holding back as she saw fit. She wasn't going to do that. She was just a perve who read one too many lemons on the Internet.

That's when Gaara's hand slipped up over the swell of her chest. She attempted not to react, attempted to remind herself that he was oblivious to the taboo of a female's breasts, didn't know anything about nerve endings that caused such areas to be sensitive, and knew nothing of hard nipples, which would be why his fingers were _inspecting _ the protrusion.

She froze as his confused hand brushed once, twice, thrice, making sure what he was feeling under his palm was correct. He was about to open his mouth and question, she sensed. That's what got her to move.

Finally, after rationalizing the situation, she put her lips by his ear and growled one word; "_Down."_

He quickly moved his hand away, hearing her intensity and fearing he'd done something very wrong.

Thankfully, to save her from explaining, Kankuro came into the room. His entrance into the hotel room brought the two younger youths away from each other very quickly and left Gaara's brother questioning what he'd walked in on.

Loor, attempting to stand up while explaining what was going on in the most pure way possible, managed to trip over herself and wake Temari up with the loud thump of her hitting the floor. Once Loor had risen from the ground swearing, everyone was laughing enough to forget what Kankuro had just seen.

Even Gaara chuckled; very quietly.

* * *

Ino was convinced her day could not get any worse. Shikamaru proving she was colorblind was the ultimate confirmed kill. Between training and having to go eat dinner with the lazy genius's family she had to admit her new colorblindness to her mother and father. Her father, a peppered shinobi who Ino modeled her tied back hairstyle after, looked at it as a challenge and opportunity. Her mom... was a different story. She freaked out about how in the world Ino was going to manage the flower shop if she couldn't see in color, and pretty much acted as if Ino was completely blind.

You can imagine this might be rather annoying.

The only good thing her mother did was fixing the clothing color problem. They spent a quiet hour together going through Ino's closet and sorting it by color and then putting a list on Ino's wall of what color was where so she wouldn't mess it up again.

This didn't make Ino feel any better. The whole night, she felt utterly broken, wounded. She could remember what colors looked like, but they were no longer part of her world.

She growled and stomped the whole way to Shikamaru's house when she had to go. Of course her mother dressed her up, matching in purple again and adding earrings onto the look and subtracting the weapons pouch and headband.

As it would turn out... Shikamaru was a clone of his dad. Both were lazy but seemed to be intelligent people. Ino was sure both of them slept most of the way through the dinner Shikamaru's mother cooked.

The mother was someone Ino was okay with.

Shikamaru looked nothing like his mother, who was a powerful yet slender creature with a homemaker's attitude. She was also a ball of energy where the two males in the family were lazy and sleeping most of the time. She and Ino chatted through the night while the boys were left alone.

Honestly, that had to be the high point of Ino's night. Once dinner was over with she helped with dishes as an excuse not to go home. She hoped to stay out late enough to miss her own mother, not wanting to deal with the woman again.

Dishes seemed to go by far too quickly.

After that, Ino was let out to go home. Konoha was dark, and though the main village was alight with street lamps Shikamaru's family lived out where the open land was. Apparently the back property was where his dad kept deer. She'd heard somewhere in the conversation with his mom that the antlers could be ground into potent medicine. To Ino that sounded like torture to the animal, but she was assured that they took every precaution not to hurt the animal and usually took from the dead.

So she was in the dark on the outskirts of the village, far from the Yamenaka compound, her family compound, and quite happy about it. She walked slowly, taking her earrings out and pinning them into the hem of her shirt so she could ignore them.

Carefully looking around, she also let her hair down to let the night air through it. She didn't know why she wanted that feeling, but she was looking for any distraction from the fact that when she saw a lamp along the path it appeared gray and white, not yellow.

Her blond hair, almost white for how light blond it was, hung to her shoulders, batted by the wind's paws.

Tomorrow, she'd be eating at Choji's house, and then Choji would eat at Shikamaru's house, vice versa, then Shikamaru would eat at her home followed by Choji.

She shook her head, her hair, to make it dance in the moonlight. _Stop thinking. Stop. Stop. _

_Stop._

And she stopped, her steps coming to a halt and looking to the left. She thought she could see a figure in an alleyway, and backed up a step. Was it some dangerous nightwalker? An old pervert??

The person's chubby frame came clear.

Usually, Ino's sharp tongue would have inquired 'What are you doing out here, fat boy?' but such sharpness was for moods marginally higher than this one. No, instead she gave a greeting to the shadow that was Choji with a nod of her head.

"Ino, what are you doing out so late?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Ino huffed, turning down the path to keep walking. She expected him to follow, and stopped and turned when he didn't. "You comin'? Your compound is this way too, isn't it?"

"I... uh... wasn't going home." She heard his steps. "But if you want me to walk with you I will."

"Where were you going?" She questioned the shadow that was now close behind her. She could smell the last thing he ate on his breath, chips, and for some reason it didn't disgust her. She was a little too disgusted with herself to be disgusted with anything else.

There was a pause. He deliberated on answering. "You'd probably call me stupid, like you always do."

She felt a pang of hurt. Did she? Why the hell did she care? Maybe cause she felt stupid? Some of her spirit came back. "Dude, I was confirmed colorblind today because during that training with the smoke screens I fanned the smoke into my eyes. Don't you talk to me about stupid."

"I just like to go out at night sometimes. I wasn't going anywhere, I was just walking around."

She frowned. That didn't go with her image of Choji. He was a fat boy who constantly munched on everything and was probably a lazy couch potato like Shikamaru. But here she didn't hear the crunch of chips, and he was out here because he _liked_ to walk.

Weird.

"So coming with me won't take you off your path cause it's everywhere." Ino shrugged. "C'mon."

"You didn't tell me why you were out late." Choji reminded as his steps fell in line with hers.

"I was at Shikamaru's for dinner, remember?"

"It doesn't take that long to eat, not even at my house."

"I talked a lot to his mom... and helped with dishes."

"Oh..."

Silence.

"Hey, Choji..." Ino turned around to walk backwards. "Have you ever felt, all of the sudden in your life... like you were flawed? Like you had something wrong with you?"

"Sure." He nodded. "Every time someone calls me fat."

"No, no, not with name calling, just feeling broken."

"Uh..." A pause in the darkness. "Yeah, I can think of a few days."

"Really?" She was desperate to know this was normal, that it would pass.

"Yeah... you just have one of _those_ days. You feel like you suck at everything and the whole world is like a bag of crushed chips."

"Crushed chips?" Of course he had to bring this back to food. Even without eating he was thinking about it.

"Yeah. Or whatever crunchy food that can come in a bag you like. You open it up, happy to have it, and find out everything inside is just crumbs. Some days you wake up, ready to have a great day, and it laughs at you and tells you no."

"What do you do on those days?" She questioned.

"Talk it over with a friend. They always have something going on that gets my mind off of my bad day."

"Oh." The concept was alien to her. She was always sure what was going on in other people's lives was meaningless to hers.

The rest of the walk was filled with quiet conversation, and as meaningless as it was it made Ino feel better. Once she made it home she waved her goodbye to Choji.

"Oi, Chubby." She gave, using a nickname for him she'd now grown to like a bit more than 'fat boy.'

"Eh?" Choji had already started walking.

"I don't know the way to your compound... always get lost on the last few turns and all. Would you come pick me up tomorrow?"

He cocked his head to the side a little, then nodded. "Will do."

Ino not knowing the way was a lie... she just wanted to have another conversation like that. It made her feel so much better by the end, like some kind of magic medicine...

Connecting with someone, it was so cool it was scary.

* * *

GUESS WHO'S BACK FROM GERMANY!?

Well... obviously, me. XP Yes, Loor has returned and she's got three lovely new chapters, but this is the only one that's gotten past my editor so far. Don't worry, the others will go up soon.

Ino and Choji are so cute!! XP

Loor owns nothing. Live with it!!

Oh yes, if anyone has a deviantart account you should go look me up. I'm LoorTheDarkElf, as I am here, and I just put up a bunch of art for this fic that the readers should find funny. If you do go look, please comment. People almost never tell me what they think. XP

Review if you like Spargle!


	22. Ryu

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Twenty Two- Ryu**

Midnight.

Honestly, this was Gaara's ultimate haunting hour. Usually, regardless of his condition and where he was, he would leave whatever dwelling and walk wherever his feet took him.

Tonight was different. Tonight he was pondering, staring out the window at the few stars visible through the city lights, his hand making a fist and then laying flat over and over again.

His mind orbited the single word Loor had growled, no, _snarled_ into his ear.

_Down._

She had sounded so intense, as if her voice alone could kill him if he didn't obey. What had caused that sudden rage? Had it been the same thing to cause her unsure knees afterwards, trying to explain to Kankuro what was going on when she was not telling him a word of the truth?

What had he done wrong? What had his wandering hand done wrong? She had already disregarded the growth on her chest as pointless, meaningless, what was the care if his hand went over it simply to hold her?

But the protrusion... was it abnormal? Was she embarrassed? It was hard, his fingers remembered that much, and grew harder at touch.

It caused him to feel something he couldn't identify. A heat, a passion, something he didn't know how to place. His body seemed to know it by instinct but he did not.

Shukaku seemed to know it, but all he would do is chuckle in amusement at his host.

He resolved to ask her next time she came to him, as she had left already for that night so her group did not worry about her.

His hand, the offender, fisted and relaxed again on his lap. He looked down, rubbing his fingers together gently.

What had he done wrong? He had to know. What had caused that voice? He had never heard a tone from her, so low, so breathy, so insistent.

It took him a few moments to realize he liked that tone. It aroused something in him, made a smile play across his face of a young boy who did something wrong simply for the attention he brought him even if such attention was supposedly negative.

She had wanted something... but she didn't tell him. He smirked. He'd do it again, to hear that voice again, to figure out what it meant, to get her to tell him what he wanted to know.

She would teach him, like she had before. She'd taught him affection in stages, and this seemed to be the next level...

He would learn it. She would teach him before this was over.

* * *

Loor was about three inches from killing herself over the situation with Gaara. How dare she! How dare he! How dare they!

It was all insanity, all it was. Each inch standing between her and wanting to kill herself was a piece of that insanity. Giving into that urge was the first one, finally giving in when he kissed her, going crazy on him like that, pushing him back like that.

Second was... well... his hand.

The third, that splat onto her face. As if that didn't make it obvious to Kankuro what they were up to! Weak knees were a common part of being aroused.

Standing in the hotel room with her two companions, she looked down at where his fingers had pondered. How long they'd inspected while she tried to properly figure how to push him away? She had no idea. All she knew was that she was both heavily embarrassed and feared even letting him touch her again, and at the same time wanted to rush up there, grab his hand, and make him do it again.

How retarded could a girl get?

She didn't want to answer that question.

Sighing heavily she looked over to where Naruto was sleeping. She knew she should stop brooding, lie down, and try to sleep... but her mind would not let her alone!!

She needed to kill something... a spar, a fight, some violent outlet; she needed it! She could feel urges at her fingers tips, all begging to be noticed and obeyed. This is what she got when she started following her urges, they all thought they could get a little face time and started trying to take her over!

This is what happened when her Lyra got her way.

Loor had never had this intense of an experience with it before.

Another sigh, and she went over to her pack and picked up the weapon leaned upon it. Her stave. She touched it with a slight reverence and sadness as she remembered she hadn't even gotten the chance to break the thing out during the scuffle with Itachi and Kisame a few days ago.

She growled, unwrapping the blades on either end of the weapon, looking at them, the way they'd shine in the moonlight. This weapon was hers, and yet she'd hardly practiced with it at all. Those blades were new, sharp, and had never bitten into anything.

She stood up, taking the weapon with her. She'd change that.

The city was a calm thing at night, like a sleeping beast with only its snores showing life still lurked in it. In this case, those snores were people flitting the alleys, the occasional whore on the street wearing a dishelved kimono with the obi tied in the front, her Geisha like make-up smudged by a customer.

People left Loor alone. She guessed it had something to do with walking around with her weapon out in the open and her face set like she was going to kill someone. The lack of people and the familiar field of darkness subdued her usual fear of the city streets. These shadows were her element, where she went to feeling animal like, like a jungle cat rather than a puny human being.

She realized the trick of her mind was a pathetic one at best, but she couldn't help how things made her feel.

Naruto's training area wasn't marked, but Loor felt by some strange sense that she'd found it and stopped. Getting out of the city and into the open air did wonders for her by itself. She felt herself returning to her root nature, her raw feelings that she manipulated while training and fighting.

She took a deep breath and became aware of every inch of the wild life around her, closing her eyes and grinning.

Air.

Trees.

Grass.

Dirt.

Bugs.

Water.

She avoided the twitch of her shock reaction, breathing deep again. Water? Water. There was no lake here. No river. No rain of recent, no humidity.

But water. Water was there, on the breeze, in her nose, in an unnatural way.

Her ears perked. Movement. A blunt tool through the air.

She dove forward and to the side, opening her eyes again to realize she wasn't alone.

Behind her were two figures. Had they followed her out of the city? No. She would have noticed. Men? Yes, both of them... one reeking of water, like a fish.

_Fish. _

"Kisame and Itachi." She named out loud, standing straight.

Her eyes focused upon the two, seeing that she had just narrowly avoided a strike from Kisame's sword, Semehada. The thing was out of its wraps again, ready for action. She was lucky she'd moved.

She was getting used to this shit.

"She remembers us." Kisame chortled. "But what's a girl doing all by herself in the middle of the night?"

Danger. It was thick. Loor knew it. She felt her heels coming off the ground, her legs tensing as she balanced on her toes and the front part of her feet, getting more grip. Her weapon tucked slightly behind her, her gaze hardening as she clenched her free hand.

"Look Itachi... she wants to fight us after what happened last time." The fish guy looked rather entertained.

"What are you guys doing here?" Loor had to admit... she _was_ itching for a fight. Maybe not with these guys after what happened last time, but still a fight.

Jiraiya wasn't here to back her up this time.

"Following the Kyuubi." Itachi's dark voice came out of the shadows. "What else?"

Her stave bounced. _The Kyuubi._ No mention of Naruto, no mention at all. All they cared for was the demon...

"She's got the fighter's itch." Kisame lifted his sword from the ground, stepping out of the shadow and into the moonlight. "Fiery little one, ain't she?"

"Don't tell me you like her, Kisame." Itachi only came half into the light, enough to see a foot and some of his black robe. "We're not here to kill randomly. She poses no threat. Put that _thing_ away."

"Stop following us." Loor growled. She was getting pissed that they spoke as if she couldn't hear them. "Or I'll make myself a threat to you."

"What could a non-shinobi do to us?" Itachi's body shifted a bit more into the light and out of the moon shadow. "Not even a genin... but that weapon is obviously shinobi made. In training then?"

"Strong enough to take on a chunnin candidate after two months of training." Loor allowed. She'd bluff her way through and not mention she lost that fight. It wasn't by much. Neji was limping as bad as she had been the next day.

Kisame's eyes shifted to the shadows concealing his partner and back to her. Apparently this was actually something of note, though Loor didn't think it was. Anyone with passion for combat would have been able to excel in such a manner.

Itachi came into the light, his black eyes glinting like dark crystal.

Loor bounced the tip of her stave again, one blade touching the turf, then the other, resting on the forward blade once more.

Kisame frowned, musing. "She can't be. No way there would be more than one _Biju_ in the same city... in the same group."

Biju? What was a Biju?

She didn't ask. She didn't know if being a Biju was a good thing or a bad thing. She simply backed up slightly when Itachi approached her. Her hand tightened on her stave, growling at the approaching shinobi.

Itachi's eyes flared red as he came within two feet of her. "Hold still."

Loor remembered when Naruto had made contact with those eyes in Otafuku, when Itachi had stared into his eyes and Naruto became a lame duck, following Itachi's command without resistance.

Her feet froze, having been preparing to launch at him. She almost stopped breathing.

It had to be some technique, because she found herself following orders as well.

Itachi drew close and grabbed her by the chin, moving her head left and right, looking into her eyes and then circling her once. Twice. Three times. She felt his chakra, dark and malicious, prodding her. He was looking for something.

"She tainted... but not a biju. If she is... it's hidden too deep to be found. All there is here is a little token from our old friend Orochimaru."

A heavy twitch went through her. Orochimaru's name had a way of bringing her out of stasis. Without thinking her wrist brought the forward blade of her stave up, the back blade meant to catch Itachi's cloak so she could turn and knee him in the stomach.

When she attempted such a thing he vanished, appearing again two feet away, Loor's knee slamming into her stave. Usually she'd yelp in pain, but she bit it back and faced the two S-ranked criminals, rolling the shaft of the weapon around her wrist and grasping it again.

"Old friend?!" She snapped, rage ignited. As we all know, when Loor gets angry she tends to get stupid. "You call that curse mark a token?" She felt her chakra through her limbs without even trying. She wanted to lay into something, badly.

"Nice Itachi... you made her angry. Can I kill her now?" Kisame had Semehada all ready to go again, taking a threatening step forward. "I like the snappy ones."

"If we touch her the Sannin will know we're still here... I told you, put Semehada away." The darker of the two was smirking at Loor. "She's no threat... she couldn't touch either of us if she tried."

Slowly, grudgingly, Kisame put his sword on his back, grumbling.

Loor made her move.

Remember. She was pissed. She was dumb.

She used the charge she'd unconsciously brought up to get behind both of them, her stave held horizontally at stomach level before digging in her toes and launching herself back to take the two Akatsuki members with her, all in less than the time it took to blink.

And then she turned it vertical, feeling the blade clip something as she made the turn up, and dashing forward, turning to them, closing her eyes to avoid Itachi's gaze and the power of suggestion he seemed to wield with it.

With her eyes closed, she could feel that Itachi had moved. He was behind her again. Again, without thinking, she moved. She ducked down and shoved her stave, back blade first, to where she assumed the body was. Again, she clipped something, but it didn't catch. Itachi had moved, hopping away.

Kisame.

Front.

Charging.

Semehada.

She launched herself off of the ground, felt the charge go under her, and turned as she landed to keep Kisame in front of her.

"Kisame, I told you to put that _damned thing_ away."

Itachi.

In front.

With Kisame.

Not moving.

She dared an eye.

Loor's neck still remembered what Itachi's grip felt like, and she was sure Kisame's neck would also remember for the next week, for Itachi had about the same grip on his partner. Semehada had been dropped to the ground.

Kisame was bleeding from the nose; Loor had nicked him when she turned her stave vertical from horizontal. Itachi, not bleeding, had a small rip in the hem of his cloak where her back blade had caught.

She'd touched both of them.

She'd attacked two S-rank nin.

She was still alive.

Itachi turned his gaze back to her, his eyes obsidian once more. "I can see why Orochimaru decided to mark you. He's always had a good eye for potential..." His fingers came loose from Kisame's neck. "But stay out of the way of the Akatsuki, or we will have to kill you before you reach that potential."

"Keep out of my way and I won't have to kill you _when_ I reach it!" She turned her stave in her hand, rolling it around her wrist again with a jerking and angry motion. "You wouldn't be the first ones with your names on that list!!"

Kisame tried to reach for Semehada. Itachi's fingers threatened his throat again. "And what exactly do you define as getting in your way, girl?"

"Trying to hurt my friends... or trying to kill me before I kill _him._ "

"Are you sure she's not a Biju...?" Kisame questioned. "Could just be the demon herself."

"Shut up fish boy." Loor snarled, still holding Itachi's gaze. She didn't fear it anymore. "Both of you... stay the hell away from Naruto. You touch my friends... and I'll kill you and the rest of your organization."

"You like challenges." Itachi observed. "And who's the first name on your list?"

"Your old friend... Orochimaru."

Itachi shook his head. "He liked challenges too... do us a favor and kill the traitor slowly." Itachi looked down at Kisame, as if he had forgotten he'd knocked his partner down. "Get up. Get Semehada. Go. As long as the Sannin is here its useless to keep trying for our target."

Sannin. That was Jiraiya.

Kisame slowly, while rubbing his neck, did as he was told. He gave a backward glance and kicked off for somewhere else.

"Is there a reason you're still staring at me?" Loor growled. She was ready to start another fight. "Get moving."

"Abandon protecting Naruto... or any Biju. We do not kill without need, but we will have to remove you if you get in the way. As admirable protecting your friends is, it will become weakness in the end."

She shook her head. "You just don't get it... do you? I won't die till I've reached my goal... so if my life stands in your way you're gonna have to wait your damn turn."

He seemed amused by her brazen words. "And what is the name that owns such a brave voice? And the weapon I face in her hand?"

"Weapons have no names." She snorted at him. "And the name is Loor. Don't you dare forget it."

"Weapons deserve names." He smirked at her. "Don't worry Loor... I'm sure I'll meet you and your blades again soon enough."

He turned his back upon her. He also paused, as if expecting her to take the cheep shot and try to stab him in the back. After a moment she could feel him smirk again, even if his face was turned away.

"_Ryu._ "

"Eh?" Loor bobbed the stave again. She was tempted.

"_Ryu. _ Dragon. Two blades, two strikes. The dragon strikes twice, with teeth and fire... and the dragon is too honorable to strike the turned back of an enemy." He didn't turn his head, but repeated himself. "_Ryu."_

_Ryu._

Ryu.

Loor looked down at her weapon. "Ryu."

She looked up again, and he was gone.

Well... that was an interesting substitute for training.

* * *

Yeah, I know things are going really slow here. XP I'm trying to write faster people, but life gets so busy that every time I sit down with the keyboard I doze off. Trust me, I don't like it any better than you people do.

**No ownage.**

R&R!


	23. Stage Two

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Twenty Three- Stage Two**

Fury was grinning.

Why, you question? Well, I'd be grinning too if I had just gotten my hand released from the bandages restricting it since it was broken. She had been simply fascinated with her own fingers for the past half hour while doing what the doctors told her to do; try to move them. Wasn't that hard; there wasn't that much muscle decay because she had been flexing her hand in the bandages every time she tried to move it before, so the only problem was that her knuckles were stiff as hell. This problem was being worked out with every flex of her fingers.

And by flex of her fingers, I mean she was scratching Schizo's head.

"It feels good to be able to move it again." She sighed, looking over at Kiba. As usual, he was at her bedside, petting Akamaru. "I can feed myself now!"

Kiba cocked his head to one side, looking at her. "Don't you usually use the other hand to feed yourself?"

"Ambidextrous." She explained. "I can use either hand, though you're right, I'm usually stronger with this one." She patted her other hand through the cast on her arm. She knew it would be another five weeks before she'd get that monster off. Still, the hand in the cast was fine, it was just her arm that needed to heal, so she was constantly trying to wiggle her fingers.

"Cool. Can you do that with ninja tools too?"

Fury shrugged. "Never tried."

"I bet you can. That's pretty cool."

There was a short silence.

"So... um... how's Ino doing?" Fury asked. "Have you heard anything from her?"

"Not since training yesterday. I'm not that worried about her. I mean, she can act like a runt sometimes but she's not too quick to give up."

"Hm..."

Fury laid her hand flat when Schizo insisted on pinning it down and licking her palm. She giggled, rubbing the dog's head again.

"Fury?"

Both Fury and Kiba looked up to see a nurse peeking into the room. At once, Fury nodded at her to bid her into the room. "Yeah?"

"You may check out today and return to living at home." The nurse said as she entered the room. "Now that you've got a hand to work with we think you can handle yourself. If you do choose to check you we'll need you to come back for a check up in two weeks and four weeks and if all goes well the cast removal in five weeks from today."

Fury looked over at Kiba, smiling. "Yeah, I think it's about time I went home."

Kiba smiled too. "Yeah, I've gotten tired of sleeping here." He snickered, getting up when the nurse started talking about paper work that needed to be filled out. He'd handle most of it for Fury, seeing that even if she was ambidextrous the writing of her weak hand still had to be sloppy as hell.

Part of leaving the hospital was that Fury had to shed the light blue robe that she'd been wearing for her stay and go back to the red T she'd been wearing since she arrived to Konoha and the pair of pants she bought shortly after they had arrived. The pants were still an easy fit but at first Fury, with Kiba's help, had some issues getting her old T-shirt on. Making it fit over the cast was one thing, but then the shirt turned out to be a size or two too small for the person wearing it.

Yes, Fury was a growing person too.

When no one was looking Kiba ripped the shirt in half with a claw and had Fury wear his coat out. He'd get something new for her later.

* * *

Kiba had training today, of course, but Fury broke off from him after she got a new shirt. They had stopped back at the house and Hana suited her up with a purple short kimono thing that was very loose. It was puny but it would do nicely to fit over the cast on her arm.

Where was Fury going?

She was taking Lee up on his offer for training with his team. She already knew where they usually were for training after tracking Loor down a few times, so finding them wasn't a problem.

She was flexing her hand again, holding it over the weapons pouch she once again had strapped to her leg. It was on the leg matching up with her active hand, which felt weird cause it was usually on the other one, but she'd live.

When she got to her destination there were only two people present. One was Gai-Sensei, the goofy looking man, and the other was TenTen, the weapons master.

She knew Lee couldn't come to practice, but she questioned where Neji was.

Gai noticed at once when someone entered the area, and turned to Fury. Fury noticed something though; Gai's usual energy was slightly lower. She guessed Lee's condition was really getting to him, as Gai was devoted to Lee like nothing else.

"Lee told me it would be a good idea to train with more than just Kiba's team." Fury said before Gai could question. "I know I have only one working hand, but I don't have time to wait."

TenTen frowned slightly. "Fury, you have to give yourself time to heal. Lee has the same problem. He tried a set of stairs the other day..." She shook her head. "Don't push so hard, you'll just hurt yourself."

Fury set her lips in a line, her jade eyes narrowing. "I'm not going to use my bad arm. I thought I'd practice throwing or something... but..." She sighed. "I wanna surprise Loor when she gets back. I wanna be able to fight her..." She glanced at Gai, and grinned. "And I wanna win."

Determination showed on her face, enough to perk Gai up. Seeing a kid like that tended to do that to him. "TenTen, I think you can help Fury out with throwing till her other arm heals, and then get some other training in."

"You want to beat Loor?"

Fury turned around to see Neji walking up behind her.

"Neji." TenTen glared at him. "You're late."

"We haven't started." Neji batted back, and focused back upon Fury. "You want to beat Loor?" He repeated.

She stared at him for a second, and then smirked, nodding. "That's right."

"She's not an easy target..." Neji smirked back. "See me after training today, and we'll see if you have any hope of beating your elder sister."

Something in how Neji said that gave Fury a chill. She worried... how much was she asking for here??

"After training." She agreed, regardless to her bad feeling.

She hoped Kiba wouldn't worry about her being late to lunch.

* * *

Loor woke up to a splash of very cold water to the face and the sound of a small explosion. At once she panicked, sitting up fast, rolling forward and turning in a crouched position, ready to pounce whatever had startled her out of sleep.

When her eyes tracked up, she noticed Naruto standing over where she had been sleeping, grinning. His hands were wet... and there were a few remains of balloon on the bedroll she had been sharing with him the night before.

But no balloon in his hand.

Loor twitched once, shook some of the water out of her hair, and grinned. "You got it?" She questioned.

His grin grew to go from ear to ear. "I got it."

Both blond teens looked over to Jiraiya, who was sleeping still. He was rank of women and alcohol... and Naruto looked ready to give him the proper punishment for indulging in the shinobi taboos.

The backpack of water balloons was in the corner, and Naruto quickly went over and picked out another. Loor watched, standing up from her tense crouch, as Naruto held the balloon in one hand over Jiraiya's head.

She felt his chakra charge building up quickly, flowing into his hand, and spinning round and round.

Then he used his other hand, the same swirl of energy going on in his other palm, which is laid upon the balloon from several directions, putting it against the surface of the balloon and then pulling it away, going to another side, causing several rotations of water within the balloon...

The smooth stretched shape started bulging and jagging out, the water currents clashing with each other. Much more...

And it exploded. The water misted for the most part, aside from some that went straight down to Jiraiya's face. Of course, Jiraiya leapt up in about the same manner Loor had, babbling some nonsense before looking back at Naruto in a hungover and dazed stupor.

"What was... that about?" He asked, yawning.

Loor shook her head. "He doesn't even get what you did, the big doof."

Jiraiya looked over at Loor. "He put water on my head... not a good way to wake your sensei up, you should know."

Her face palmed. Naruto was getting another balloon.

"Pervy Sage, watch this time!" Naruto gave, holding a blue balloon in his hand. Jiraiya's great head swung back in Naruto's direction as the boy prepared to demonstrate again.

Loor giggled when the balloon burst again. When they'd seen Jiraiya do it he had done it with one hand, probably able to create several currents with one hand, so it had to take some thinking outside the box for Naruto to finally get what he needed to do to make it work.

Jiraiya, facing away from her, didn't seem impressed. He didn't move at all.

"Pervy Sage, I did it in three days, believe it!" Naruto crowed, grinning. He then gave a piercing look to his master, as if looking for praise.

Naruto's face fell.

Jiraiya gave a snore.

"He dozed off..."

Loor growled, dealing a kick to the back of Jiraiya's head.

"Yow!" The older man came back to earth, falling forward on his bed and clutching his head. "Don't do that, I've got a headache like you wouldn't believe!"

"You deserve it." Loor snorted, shaking out her hair and going to leave the room while picking her green coat up off the floor. "C'mon Naruto, let's go eat something... You gotta tell me how you figured it out. It's so cool you got it in three days!"

Naruto's fallen face picked up as Loor praised him in Jiraiya's stead, nodding and moving with her to leave the room. "You wouldn't believe how it hit me. It was just this morning!"

Jiraiya sighed, dropping his head into his pillow for an extra five minutes.

* * *

"Alright Naruto, I'll admit that learning the first step in three days is impressive, but that one is the easiest."

They were back out in the training area, the three of them, and Jiraiya had gone into lecture mode after his hangover cleared up. He still had the backpack of balloons, though Loor had to wonder why. Naruto had passed water balloons, why would Jiraiya still be holding on to what was left?

"Yeah, yeah, let's just get on with the next step, eh?" Naruto was glaring at his sensei, still a little ticked about that morning. Loor found out that Naruto got the idea to use two hands from a cat wondering the inn. It had gotten a hold of a balloon and started batting it between its front paws till it popped because of the conflicting currents caused by rolling back and froth.

Naruto had explained this while Loor fed him again that morning, as Naruto's hands were shaking worse than they had been the day before and incapable of holding a pair of chop sticks.

"Right." Jiraiya regained Loor's wondering attention, though Naruto was already focused in. "The first step was to create a rotation and maintain it. The second step is power." He drew out something from the balloon bag, but it wasn't a water balloon.

It was a white rubber ball.

"Observe."

Jiraiya took a stance with the ball held out, glaring at it and gathering his energy. Loor felt him channeling it into his hand, causing the rotation; but the ball was full of air! It was thinner, how was he going to cause anything to happen to a thick rubber casing with air?

The rubber ball suddenly jagged and stretched out like the water balloon had, exploding with partially visible chakra riding the air out of the ball.

"The skin of the ball is tougher than the thin skin of the balloon, so you have to give it all your power, make the rotation go as fast as possible, in order to burst the ball. Even harder is that its full of air, not water. Water is easier to move with chakra, but air will present more of a challenge." Jiraiya reached into the pack again, drawing out a new rubber ball and tossing it to Naruto. He caught it, frowning slightly.

After squeezing it, the blond boy grinned. "Right! I'll pulverize this as fast as I did the first step!"

Jiraiya set himself up against the same tree he did last time, when he showed Naruto the first step. At once the sensei looked bored, crossing his arms like he was a kid stuck in the corner instead a teacher watching a student.

"Childish..." Loor muttered, walking a few steps away to watch Naruto.

Naruto set up in a stance, holding the ball out and getting his other hand ready as well. He brought up his power, and Loor watched as he did to the rubber ball what he had done to the water balloon that morning.

When he had caused the conflicting currents he held the ball in both hands, his energy concentrated on increasing the speed of the rotation.

The ball punctured, air rushing out.

Just a puncture, the size of a small rock, not the turbulent explosion Jiraiya had caused.

"Expected on the first try." Jiraiya muttered. "This _is_ an A rank jutsu... super high class stuff, the forth Hokage made it himself, and it took him three _years_ to master the whole thing. Makes shadow clones look like child's play, really."

"You talk like you expect him to give up." Loor gave a look to Jiraiya. "You don't, do you?" She then looked at Naruto. "Naruto is too cool to give up."

"I don't expect him to quit..." Jiraiya smirked. "I'm just letting him know he's going to be at it for a while."

Naruto smiled at the two people behind him. "I know, sensei. Anyways, I never give up, believe it!"

Loor rolled her eyes. "The return of the catch phrase."

Jiraiya got up, sighing. "Well, I'm going back into town. I've got work to do. You kids keep out of trouble. And Loor..." He made sure she looked him in the eye. "No helping him. He's got to get it on his own."

Loor rolled her eyes again, this time at Jiraiya. "You've said this already. I _know."_

She watched the old man leave, and then turned back to Naruto. "I'm getting to not like him so much." She muttered.

"Tell me about it..." Naruto had gone into the balloon pack, pulling out another rubber ball. Apparently they had as many of those as they did water balloons. Jiraiya planned on Naruto not getting it for quite a while. "And all he's doing in town is playing with the girls, I'm sure. He should be here, helping me, or looking for clues on where his old friend Tsunade is, not lazing."

"Yeah..." She growled, pacing the ground as Naruto set up to practice. She wished she'd brought Ryu with her, seeing as the weapon was still a little ill in her hand. The night before had been pure luck...

"Hey, Loor. You were really quiet yesterday. Was something wrong? You just came back and went to sleep. I had to carry you back to the hotel, believe it!"

She jerked out of her thoughts and looked at him. "I was just tired. I'm used to travel... but not so much walking." She rubbed the back of her head. "Not to mention I've been really stressed."

"Stressed? What over?" Naruto was getting ready to try again, holding the ball in his hand. "We're away from home on a big trip... what's to stress over besides Pervy Sage not doing his job?"

"Well..." Loor sighed, shaking her head and sitting down. Naruto didn't prod her till he had made his attempt, the ball puncturing again and deflating. He tossed the flat rubber aside, walking over to her and squatting in front of her.

"Is it what happened with Itachi and Kisame?"

Loor, looking up at him, bit her lip. She weighed her options.

Could she trust Naruto with what happened last night?

"Sorta."

Yes she could.

"You bothered cause you had to be saved? It's no biggy, Jiraiya saved me too."

Would she?

"Well..."

Loor wanted to bite her tongue. She knew about two months ago what happened the night before would never leave her mind, never a word of it would leave her lips, but things had changed. Suddenly she _wanted_ to trust Naruto with such a thing. She _wanted_ him to know what she had gone through.

She wanted to give him a chance as a friend. A real friend.

Loor was shocked with herself, wanting to do such a thing. Even Fury was still regarded as a person she only trusted as far as she could throw her. Loor didn't like trusting people, as she was too used to getting stabbed in the back. When she was a little kid trying to make friends, people had enjoyed pulling the rug from under her just a bit too much.

She only trusted family.

"Loor?" Naruto prodded, getting worried. "C'mon Loor, what's up? I'll listen, believe it!"

"_Nii-san." _ She used the word for big brother. It made her feel better about what she was about to say. She'd called him Nii-san before so it was no big deal. "I saw Itachi and Kisame again last night."

Naruto twitched, staring. "Are... are you okay?"

"Fine and dandy. They didn't want to hurt or kill me, since that would kinda alert Jiraiya they were still here. I get the feeling I more or less walked in on them meeting about what to do next, because they weren't looking for me. And I was just looking for a training spot with Ryu-- I mean my weapon."

"Ryu...? Dragon?" Naruto was skeptic. "Since when did you come up with a name for your stave? Usually named weapons are things people have passed down for a few generations, or something they've had for a long time or through a meaningful fight, believe it!"

"_I _ didn't name it!" She snapped at him. "_Itachi_ did."

She could see she was really confusing him. But that was okay... she was rather confused herself.

* * *

And that's gonna be the last update for a while people. When I said slow I meant the updates. XP Between a boyfriend and a job Loor's having issues finding time/energy to write. But I'm NOT going to abandon the fic. If I ever stopped writing I'd probably go insane and become a serial killer. XD

You might just have to live with slow updates... but Loor is going to work hard! Beleive it! XDDD

**No ownage.**

R&R


	24. Coming Clean

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Twenty Four- Coming Clean**

"You wanted to see me?"

Neji didn't turn when Fury asked this question. He'd been standing by himself, in a clearing with three markers set up. The markers had numbers on them, labeled one, two, and three. Fury had no idea what these were for, but it probably had something to do with whatever training Neji was doing. She was alone, having sent Schizo to Kiba for the day.

"I did." He gave, staring forward still as Fury stood behind him.

Suddenly, before Fury could ask why, Neji lashed out. Without looking he fired a kick back at her, his body following as she jumped away from him, yelping in surprise. She expected him to stop at that, but he followed her, his eyes surrounded by swelled veins that marked that his byakugan was activated, both hands forward in a thrust.

Fury ducked, confused, but kicked forward to strike with her head after dodging under his hands. She felt her skull hit his ribs, and then dug her heels into the ground to get away from him again.

The two stared at each other from either side of the clearing.

"What in the world was that for?!" She finally snapped.

"Just checking how quickly you'd get over shock and react." He seemed just a tad too confident, and smug. "I had no intention of hurting you."

She glared at him, wary. "You're an ass."

He shrugged, standing straight and letting his ability go, his white eyes seeming less sharp as the veins vanished. In the silence he started sizing Fury up. She was probably thirteen now, and her figure was starting to look it, though her frame was slim all around. He walked closer to circle her, almost chuckling as she tensed up, still apprehensive of him.

"Silver streaks... fashion statement?" He questioned the two strips of silver in her hair that made up the hair framing her face.

"Birth mark." She snipped.

He stopped at her side, tapping the still present cast. "Your hand was recently unwrapped... but how did these injuries happen?"

"During the invasion." She shifted. She felt as if she was being interrogated. "I got in a fight."

"With who?"

"Why do you care?" Fury growled, turning to him.

Neji's got a gift for pissing people off, doesn't he?

"Why won't you tell me?" He gave back, not rising like she did.

She tried not to bristle so much, taking a breath and getting to calm down. "Loor did it."

"During the invasion?" He seemed confused now.

"It's part of the reason I'm here... a reason I want to get stronger than her. I know we swept the fight under the rug, both of us ignored it cause... it wasn't really our faults, but I'm still mad about it. She's got me in casts for five weeks, and she got off with two days of hospital rest and off she goes again." She looked at Neji. "I want to win for once. No... I don't want to, I need to."

"Why did you two...?" He trailed off, his white eyes looking over Fury again. He seemed to sight his answer, and shook his own question off. "Never mind. TenTen and I will take over your training for now..." His gaze hardened again. "Understand this, TenTen may be careful of your condition, but I am not a merciful person."

She felt a dabble of fear. Dare she take on a sensei who was willing to send her _back_ to the hospital?

She'd survived Loor.

"Gotcha." Fury nodded.

He turned to walk from the clearing, and she could sense a smirk on his face. "When your other arm has healed... I look forward to sparring with you. Your sister nearly beat me, Fury. Best me, and consider yourself ready for her."

"Why would you look forward to sparring the younger sister?" She questioned.

"I have a feeling she has just as much potential as the elder sister... which is a great deal. The elder sister, she is a bull, a dragon, all beastly anger in the heat of battle. As much as that is her strength she'd reach her potential if she trained her mind to calculate in battle instead of being overwhelmed by emotions."

Fury smirked at the irony. Loor was one of the smartest people Fury knew, and yet her mind was the weakest thing she had in a fight. Looking back on various situations, arguments for the most part, Loor would kick herself for not thinking fast enough.

"And me?"

"I have not seen. I have tried to strike you once though, and though you felt anger you did not choose to strike me till you were sure it was my intention to strike you. The mind of a sniper, a marksman, like TenTen to make sure someone is an enemy before fighting. It's a good quality." He only then looked back at her. "But you knew that, didn't you? That weapon's pouch... Kurenai would only give it to you if you could handle it. You're here to learn things you didn't know... But I can't teach you anything till that other hand of yours is free to make seals."

He meant the hand signs.

"What for?" Fury asked.

He turned away from her again, beginning to walk once more. "You'll see."

Before she could protest he had left the clearing. She growled, not bothering to follow and turning in the general direction of the main village. She moved quickly, hungry. She knew she was late for lunch, but Schizo would explain to Kiba why she was late.

Fury flexed her hand in her cast, looking down at it as if she could will it to heal faster.

Five weeks was going to be an eternity.

* * *

"Okay, lemme get this straight! You ran into Itachi and Kisame last night, started a fight, _survived,_ and even managed to get Kisame to bleed?"

Loor sighed at Naruto, who had made another fruitless attempt at the second step of his training. "And Itachi told Kisame to go ahead, turned his back on me, and called my stave Ryu when I refused to strike."

"You're a lucky little gal, Imoto-chan."

"Which is weird, for me. Usually I have rotten luck." She stretched out, already sitting on the grass and watching him. "I sometimes have good luck... but only when something bad is going to happen. Usually if I have good luck for a day at the end of the day someone is uber pissed at me for some reason, or someone found something I was hiding from them."

"Weird." He walked over, sitting next to her for a second. He'd been at it all morning while discussing Loor's midnight encounter with her to get all the details. "Wonder what's gonna happen." He said with a goofy grin.

"Black Angel of Irony is probably going to strike." She giggled, shaking her head. "Hey, Nii-san, you still gotta teach me the walk on water thing. When are we gonna do that?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. There's no lakes around here, no bodies of water in the city that I know about."

"What about the bath house? They've got hot spring imitations, fair sized pools of hot water to relax in. If we went at the right time you could use sexy jutsu to get in and teach me."

"No good... I can hardly keep my hands still to form seals at all." He shook his head, sighing. "They're shaking so bad, and I haven't reached the point where I can do it without the seal."

She sighed. "Damn... What about the other way around? I can do sexy jutsu pretty well, I could go into the men's bath with you."

He nodded. "Sounds good, we just gotta find the right time. I don't wanna take time out of training, and I still have to get rest so I can keep going with this, believe it!"

"How late is that bath house open...?" She questioned out loud.

Her mind was working something else out. She now felt like kicking herself for not thinking of it sooner. Gaara! He had chakra and chakra control up the yin-yang! He had to know how to do the walk on water thing, he could teach her, and she wouldn't be impeding on Naruto's training and rest.

But there was no way she could push Naruto off now without alerting him to something being off...

No, there was always a way. She could try. She was good at this.

She could do this.

"I don't know." He shrugged. "I can take a look... or maybe you can whenever you need to go back in to use the bathroom."

Loor's brain started calculating. She bit her lower lip, looking thoughtful. "Naruto, are you sure this isn't going to mess with your stuff? I mean, I want you to beat this thing and shove it in Jiraiya's face. I don't wanna slow you down... maybe you could tell me how to do it and I'll go try it on my own, and I can come back to you with questions if I get confused?"

She felt his eyes sharpening. This was her idea, and now she was doubling back on it. Naruto may have been dimmer than some but he wasn't the dimmest bulb in the box.

"Loor, are you sure...? I know you don't like being by yourself while you're in town. I've seen you."

"I know you have, Nii-san. But..."

She bit her lip. Lies or truth? Trust him or tell him?

Gaara... Gaara said he'd be okay with Naruto knowing.

_Tell him the truth while you still have the chance, damn it! Don't let this become like your homework at home, where you lie, lie, and lie till you're past the point of no return and your mom has to dig you out of your own shit later! Naruto is like Gaara, he won't take to betrayal well! You'll hurt him!_

_**What's wrong with digging your usual holes? You've gotten away with it before. There are so many things you've kept secrets already, things no one ever found out. If you tell Naruto about Gaara, Naruto might let it slip to Jiraiya. Where are you then? Then you've betrayed him.** _

"Loor? You still with me here?" Naruto called her as she had trailed off mid sentence.

"Nii-san, we need to talk."

She made her decision.

It was one she wouldn't have made before.

Was she really learning to trust people?

He was looking rather worried. "What is it?"

"Gaara's here."

She said it in a whisper, fearing that an unwanted ear might be listening.

Naruto stared at her, as if he didn't understand what she'd just said. Then, yelping, he jumped up to his feet. "What?! Here? Like, here-here or in the city here? How long have you known?!"

Without thinking she threw herself at him, pinning him down and covering his mouth. "Shut up, _baka!" _

_Baka _ means idiot in Japanese for those who don't know.

"Gaara tells me to call him Sabaku out in the open, you should too." She whispered before getting up. "And yes, he's in the city. I've known since the day we arrived. Met him... at the bath house, actually."

"He must have been shocked to see you alive." Naruto said, sitting up. "I mean, Gaa--" He broke off, clearing his throat. "Sabaku thought he'd killed you."

New info! She cocked her head to one side. "Killed me? Are you kidding? I was there right before he left. He knew I was alive and kicking."

"You were?" He sighed. "Must have dropped in after I passed out. I was out when Sasuke told me Sakura was okay, and I know you carried me back, but I didn't know Sabaku had seen you before his escape from the village."

"But why would he think he'd killed me?!" She snapped, suddenly very worried. This had to have something to do with why she woke up at the village's edge the day of the Chunnin Finals.

"A sound nin impersonated you, another one impersonated Lee. They, looking like you and Lee, stood in the hall Gaara had to take to get to the battle field and started making out." Naruto shook his head. "I saw it myself, and I was totally fooled, believe it! Ga--" Naruto, in the passion of the memory, nearly said his name but saved himself. "Sabaku killed them both. Got him real crazy for his fight with Sasuke."

Loor was hit with shock, nearly falling over. "Whoa..." She muttered, her eyes wide. That was one way to cause a recession.

"So... Loor, have you been seeing him?" He asked.

She glanced at him. "Yeah... yesterday. After you taught me shadow clones I used one to send back to you so I could go and spend time with him."

He twitched. "You... Whoa, I can't believe I didn't realize that!"

She ducked her head. "I'm sorry, but I..."

He waved it off. "It's cool. I get it." He gave a doggish grin. "My little sister is in _L-O-V-E!_ No fightin' that, believe it!"

Naruto suddenly found a fist in his face, falling back and sliding a few feet. When he sat up, rubbing his face, he found Loor standing over where he had been sitting.

"Never say that again." Loor snarled.

She was okay with admitting it to her _Beau_ , but she wasn't okay with other people saying it.

"Jeez, you're as violent as Sakura." He muttered. "Wait... I get why you were suggesting you train on your own, you were going to get _his_ help!" He forgot his pain and looked very smug for having figured it out. "Right?"

Loor deflated a little, like an agitated cat calming down. "Right."

"You were going to lie to me."

"Again." She muttered, glum, the light in her eyes dying as guilt set in. She looked at the ground. "Call it a bad habit." She gave, a lame excuse.

"But you stopped yourself. You were arguing with yourself... you were honest to me."

"In the end." She muttered. She wasn't worthy of the tone in his voice, the still happy tone that said he'd already forgiven her. She knew what she was; she was a dirty little snake.

There was a bit of silence.

"Loor, its okay. I understand."

"It's not fucking okay. It's never been okay. I'm a deceiver, I know that. You don't have to pretend to forgive me, just be mad about it like everyone else."

Silence.

In a few seconds, Loor found herself wrapped in Naruto's arms. The hug came out of nowhere, but she didn't fight him. She just stood there, held in his grasp like a rag doll. Why was he hugging her? She was being pathetic. Beyond pathetic. She lost all of her strength to her guilt...

He squeezed. "Loor... you're my friend. As long as you come clean in the end I'll be here for ya." He pulled back, doing Lee's 'Nice Guy' pose, which would be a thumbs up with a huge grin. "Believe it!"

She stared at him for a moment, still feeling wounded.

Suddenly she leapt at him, hugging him tightly. He laughed and caught her, patting her back. "Imoto-chan, take it easy. I'm betting you wanna go see him now, right?"

"What about you? I don't wanna leave you by yourself."

He let go of her, still grinning. "I've been alone most of my life. An extra day or two of being by myself isn't going to change anything."

She backed off, sighing slightly. "So... I'll have Gaara teach me. I'm sure he knows it. But Naruto, after he teaches me..." She grinned. "I want to try this again. We still have water balloons?"

"Enough to soak the Hokage building."

"Great. I know Jiraiya is impressed with you, so lets see what he thinks of two."

* * *

**No ownage.**

Holy SHIZ people!! I've been going nuts here, just cranked out three chapters in a day... yeah, my muse hit hyper drive for some reason... Loor not knowing why. Oh well. ENJOY!!

Two more coming up.

Reviews equal love.


	25. Morals

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Twenty Five- Morals**

Gaara was alone.

Oh, he was quite used to such a thing, but at the moment he reveled in that fact. Temari had returned the day before with a medical book and had left again to get the proper things the book called for when it came to treating wounds and burns such as Gaara's. Kankuro had left to root out something in town the siblings would call dinner, the sun already making its decent upon the city. This left Gaara to his thoughts, and the idea that Loor could arrive at any moment, and should she come to him while he was still alone...

A somewhat devious smile picked up on his face. He couldn't help it. He felt his curiosity. He felt that heat going through him again, like when he had first made his offense.

Gaara wondered why Shukaku didn't laugh at his state, tease him with knowing something he, being younger, didn't, but Shukaku just seemed to agree with the fact that they wanted to touch her again. He didn't tease, he didn't start a fight over it... he just agreed. He might have even fueled Gaara's want to understand.

So strange. But at least Shukaku wasn't pushing on his addiction. For that, he wasn't going to argue in case the beast tried to make him go out and kill someone.

He was brought out of his reflection when someone knocked on the door. Gaara didn't waste much time, getting to his feet regardless to how his torso still hurt from moving at all.

At the other side of the door, as he expected, was Loor.

He opened the door, bidding her to take off her shoes and come in.

"I told Naruto." She said, not even taking the time for a greeting. She didn't take off her shoes either, just stepping in through the door and shutting it herself.

He shifted his head to one side, and then nodded. A distraction, but he had doubted she would come in thinking of the same thing he had been. "How did he take it?"

"He was surprised." She giggled. "You know, if that wasn't obvious. Anyways, I got something I was hoping you could teach me."

Goodness she was suddenly very busy. His eyes expressed curiosity while still distracted by the issue nagging in the back of his mind. He didn't need to say anything.

"Do you know how to walk on water?"

A nod. Gaara didn't want to open his mouth. Loor had a gift for engaging even the quietest people in conversation. He feared entering in such, seeing as she was also good at taking up his attention, would make him forget the things he was intent on learning from her.

"I wanna learn it. Naruto's sensei is teaching him this new cool jutsu and I wanna learn it too, but I need more control on my chakra before I can. I know there's no water around here or anything... but I was thinking one of us could use a disguise to get into the other gender's bath area and use the water there for practice, and you could teach me."

Apparently luck was on his side for the moment. She had no shame of her shape; he'd offer to do the transformation. With training not only would he have an open excuse to touch her, he'd be able to see what exactly he had felt the time before.

"Tonight?" He questioned.

"Can't." She sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "I checked the bath houses. They're already closed for the night."

He nodded, trying not to smile. He was still lucky; being alone with her. Since Naruto knew about himself and his siblings she probably wouldn't be obligated to leave so early. He felt predatory again, a feeling he knew in the past only when he and Shukaku were getting along. It came with a cold demeanor, arrogant air, and the feeling that once he had a mission... he'd finish it, no matter what.

Confidence.

He left the door, motioning her along. Finally, she took off her shoes. He took his place on his bed again, scooting back to lean against the wall where the extra two pillows, meant for if two people were sleeping on the bed, had been piled upon his two pillows to make a comfortable place to lean.

She had crawled onto his bed as he situated himself, stretching out on her belly and then rolling onto her back to expose her stomach. Gaara got the urge to run his hand over her stomach like he would absently pet a cat because of the manner she stretched out. She did do it in a very feline manner, even mewing softly for effect.

He was used to cats. The creatures had natural environment in the desert. The Kazekage palace, no matter what, seemed to be knee deep in strays and a grand total of ten cats that actually had collars and names that were in ownership of either Gaara or his siblings.

Gaara only owned one... it wasn't a domestic cat. A few sizes larger, actually.

"So your sibs ain't home, eh?" She chuckled. "I thought they were both way worried about your wounds."

"I'm recovering." He shrugged, watching her closely. "We will probably leave in another day or two. Temari is nervous about staying still for long."

She suddenly sat up, looking at him and his bandages. Her eyes, electrical and questioning, seemed to prod his wounds without touching him. It was her chakra, trying to check him over like he would do to her with such ease. She wasn't very good at it at all. Her hold on her energy was loose at best.

"Can I... take a look?" She asked, a hand reaching forward to where Kankuro had the loose end stuck down for his dressings.

He nodded slightly. "The bandages need to be changed when Temari gets home anyway."

She had to get up to sit on her knees in front of him, pulling the end of the bandage and beginning the job of unwinding it. She watched him, he guessed to watch for signs of pain. How silly of her. He knew she'd never hurt him, and if she did it would be without meaning to, so there would be no reason to express pain even if he felt it for a split second.

The bandages had fallen free, she was inspecting the wound.

"Whoa... you heal fast. Wasn't this spot like... twice this size yesterday?" She said this while questioning the mark from the Chidori. "At this rate you should be fine in two days..."

Her hand rested on his shoulder so the other could lightly trace where the wound had marked the day before, but now left only pink newly healed skin.

"All demons heal quickly..." Gaara's voice was no more than a mutter. "So you could say its another gift from Shukaku."

"Yeah, but I actually like this one." She giggled slightly, looking to see that almost all of the pus filled blisters from before were gone, only one left close to the burn. "Does Temari know how fast this is going? I don't think she needs to worry about medicine."

"How did you know about that?"

"I eavesdropped on her meeting with Shikamaru about a week ago while I was still in Konoha, heard that Shikamaru was going to dig up a medical book for her on healing wounds the old fashioned way." Her hand brushed over the white skin on his chest, feeling no marks where the old blisters had been. "But I bet she didn't know about this."

"I've never been hurt before, aside from the..." He trailed off, lifting a hand to the scar on his forehead. "That was deep... to the bone. A scar that will never fade."

She looked up at him, drawing close to examine the scar on his head. The symbol for love, carved in a way it would never fade. "Why did you mark yourself with the symbol for love?" She questioned. She didn't apologize for the blunt and probing question. No, she never cared if her words crossed lines.

As strange as it was to answer such a question, he gave in to her electric gaze when she met his eyes to try and will a response out of him. "At the time... it was a vow. A promise I would never love anyone but myself because I was the only person I could trust."

"Well that's a stupid promise to make." She snorted at him, sitting back, her hand sliding down his shoulder and arm to his hand, resting over it. "To never love anyone but yourself... having a healthy self love is a good thing, but you gotta make sure it doesn't branch into narcissism. You have to have some love for yourself to have love for anyone else. You have to see in yourself some things you like... and hopefully you find someone who likes the rest of it."

She gave him a slightly shocked look when he cracked a smile at her. Gaara did smile around her, but the smile he was giving was... well...

Drop dead sexy. When she said what she did he suddenly got a look in his eye that caused him to ooze confidence.

Her mind flashed on the night before, leaving only one fleeting thought.

_Awe shit._

"Tell me what you love in me." He said to her, his voice sounding cold like it usually did. Still, there was a demanding quality in it. It was like Itachi's power of suggestion, only it made Loor want to squirm.

She felt her face getting warm. His smile widened.

He was cornering her.

"You're unique." She answered while her cheeks flushed. "You have things no one else has, but I still can relate to you and all." Her speech sped up as he lent forward to her. She was leaning back. "Despite the fact it's very twisted you still have a sense of humor, and-"

She had to lean back another inch.

"Uh--"

He was nearly crawling over her.

"Well..."

She was nearly flat on her back.

"Am I making you nervous again?"

"You're distracting me."

"Am I now?" He was actually sounding humorously sarcastic!

In his mind he was trying to coax her aggressive side into the open. He was waiting for her to realize someone of the opposing gender was in the dominant position, something she'd never stand for on the average day.

He wished her beast to show her fangs, like his was doing.

"Why are you doing this...?" She questioned, finding her back against the bed, no more room left for retreat.

"Because _you_ wanted something yesterday."

"So?"

Arrogance tipped his commanding words. "Show me."

Less than a second passed before he found himself on his back. She was over him now, not caring that her body pressed to him even in places that caused him twinges of pain, fire in her eyes.

He felt the fire in his own stomach. This is what he wanted.

"How dare you." She snarled in his face.

That voice again. He could almost taste her desire, though he had no idea what it was for.

Somewhere in him he found the guff to smirk at her. "Are you going to punish someone who's nearly killed you at least three times?" His hand wandered without thinking about it, under her coat to her stomach. She was tense, her abdomen a knot of muscle.

He could have sworn his ears caught a whimper coming out of her throat as his hand took no waiting in sliding up for the kill.

"I'd have a mind to punish anyone willing to cross me like this."

Gaara felt his body responding to her voice, her intense tone. She crushed onto his lips, having no mercy, as expected. Her punishment was most delicious even as her hand passed his wound to clutch in his hair. He didn't know this reaction he was having to her, but he knew she was causing the heat in his body, the blood flooding him.

Shukaku chuckled something he didn't quite catch about finally being mature.

Just as violently as she'd crushed onto his lips, she pulled away. She leaned up over him to kiss his forehead, sighing slightly, hoping to discourage his hand by moving. She may have succeeded in such a thing if moving up to kiss the top of his head didn't bring her bosom up enough to trap his chin between her breasts.

She felt him breathing down her bra.

It would seem at this point Loor finally wrenched control away from Lyra. Like waking up she jumped away from him, rolling away from him and off the bed. She would have landed hard if not for the fact that she landed where Kankuro had set up his spot to sleep on the floor. For that she landed on a soft blanket and knocked her head on a fluffy pillow.

He peeked over the side after her, smirking. He could see it now, the hard spots under her bra, her flushed face. Shukaku helped him sense other things, her smell, her warmth even from a few feet away, and the like.

"Why are you doing this?" She questioned, her eyes begging sanity out of herself and him. All it would take would be him coming after her again for her to give in.

"I'm curious." He answered, slinking down to where she was, sliding where she had unceremoniously fell.

"Don't be. You'll turn out like me." She snorted, shaking her head at him and scooting away again, having managed to sit up.

"I fell in love with you Loor. Why would turning out like you be a bad thing?" He asked this while sliding over to her, slinky like any predator bent on a hunt.

Her back hit the side of Temari's bed. "My sexuality is a bad thing, and it's only going to get worse as I get older. It'll probably evolve into the hyper sexual mania... I don't want to do that to someone else."

He had gotten close again, his lips chancing her neck. "Sexuality?" He questioned. "What is that?"

She was tempted to grab his young erection as an example, but assumed that would make things worse.

"I can't put it to words." She said instead.

She felt his teeth prick her. He was following instincts that should have been beyond his age. What was he? Late twelve, early thirteen?

Shukaku had to be at fault for this. Gaara's curiosity wouldn't have brought him to this alone, but Shukaku probably, subtly, encouraged him, perhaps even tried to speed up Gaara's biological clock on impatience.

Her arousal didn't fade at noting this fact. In fact, her emotional side was turned on even more, only the logical half of her brain was disgusted by Shukaku's impatience.

Thankfully, the logical half tended to be the one in the driver's seat most of the time.

"Gaara, stop." She commanded, managing an even voice.

Slowly, he pulled away from her. She stared at him, his eyes, for the most part.

She growled at him after that. "Shukaku, you bastard."

Gaara opened his mouth to question why she was speaking to his demon, but his face froze. Loor sensed it as Gaara and Shukaku engaged in sudden argument about who was at the wheel.

Loor was not fazed as Gaara sat back from her, lifting his hands to hold his head between them, his body laboring to keep any focus on needed functions like breathing as he retreated into his own head. She had heard those wheezing breaths before, other times. She learned to try not to concern herself with that and instead worry about what would happen if Shukaku won whatever mental fight was going on.

The wheeze faded. His hands slid out of his hair.

His eyes opened, gold.

"Shukaku." She addressed, pulling her green coat up and covering herself. She was sure the demon already knew all too well how she was feeling about the situation when it came to her over active sex drive, but there was no reason to wear such things on her sleeves. "Don't tell me you beat Gaara that easy?"

"I promised not to touch you." The creature grumbled out of Gaara's mouth. His voice was so different, so much more rough, and almost corrosively distasteful. "He agreed to let you talk to me."

"What are you doing to him?" She growled, getting right down to business. "He's not ready for this."

"Biologically he is." A grin came to his face, holding fangs from Shukaku being slightly surfaced, an overbite half formed. "And he gives in to my suggestions all too easily because of that curiosity you've taught him to embrace so well."

"Did it ever cross your mind that you won't get anywhere without _my _ approval of the situation? I'm stronger than he--"

Suddenly she found herself on her back. Shukaku had Gaara's body in his control, and she could feel the chakra coursing through every fiber of his being. He was on top of her, hands clasped around her wrists, the fangs in his grin growing larger.

"_Who _ are you stronger than, you _silly _ _**little ** _ _**girl** _ _?_ "

She roared at him, managing to push and pin him right back. Shukaku could only push Gaara's body so far, even with chakra assist. "What did you call me?!"

"I called you what you are, puny female!" He nearly bellowed right back into her face. "And I'll call you what I wish as long as you belong to the brat, seeing as that means you also belong to me!"

There was sweat on his brow. Gaara had to be fighting him on the inside as Shukaku didn't honor the agreement.

Loor was tempted to try and strangle him. "I belong to no one you fucking raccoon!"

His gold eyes narrowed, fangs out as if he was considering rending her head from her neck.

Then his wet brow furrowed, eyes rolling back a bit. Gaara must have managed to get a leash on him, of some sort.

His eyes closed, the fangs fading along with the overbite.

Wheezing again. She got off of him. He wasn't moving anywhere.

Loor felt a little bad for calling the beast out... but she couldn't stand him doing this to Gaara. Not just because her control on herself was next to nil, but... it wasn't right. It just wasn't right.

Shukaku really needed some morals, but Loor knew that was an impossible lesson to teach. Damned creature was a demon. No helping that case.

Loor was brought out of her thoughts as she suddenly felt a great amount of chakra flaring up in the room.

Her head whipped around to look back at Gaara. The poor boy had rolled onto his side, knees against his forehead, hands clutching in his hair, teeth gritted, breathing so ragged you might've thought he was dying. To her she felt as if he had opened the vault on his chakra, the amount and usage incredible. Loor watched as the amounts in the air clustered tightly enough to be seen as a light blue glow around his body, sparkling like he had a personal blizzard over him.

"Dear God Loor... what did you do now...?" She questioned herself, feeling wounded. This was her fault!! At once she got closer, reaching to him. She had to be able to help. She had to--

Loor suddenly flew back, as if struck. A new chakra had emitted from Gaara's body, the color a royal purple. What had struck her was the first emission of it, whipping out of his body. It wasn't adding to Gaara's though...

It seemed to be fighting him.

Shukaku's chakra, purple like the veins in his hide.

Gaara's wheezes picked up to disjointed screams.

Loor thanked every holy figure she knew that is wasn't the full moon, cause she was sure that the hotel room would have been demolished by now.

* * *

Two of three. Trucking along.

**NO OWNAGE!! **

If you review you get an imaginary cookie.


	26. Contrast

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Twenty Six- Contrast**

_**What do you want, brat?! ** _

_What do you think I want? You broke our deal. Now let me back out there before I force my way back out._

The black void of Gaara's mind gave himself and Shukaku a place to fight, staring at each other from across the space after having just finished a phase of the brawl. In the mental simulation Gaara's body was bleeding from one side, his clothes torn. Mentally Gaara looked to be about eight, his blue eyes locked upon Shukaku in a way that one would think the demon would turn into a block of ice.

Shukaku, in contrast, looked to be twice the size of his host in this mental landscape, his sandy hide veined in purple. His maw was wide open to show off his ugly and sharp teeth, his golden eyes drawn into a raging glare.

Like Gaara, he was bleeding, only he was bleeding from the mouth where it looked like one of his teeth had been knocked out.

Though the fight felt physical the whole situation was a battle of wills. Gaara's will had been strengthening over the last two months and some...

Since he met Loor.

_**So you want me to duck down now? After you've been listening to her the whole time, realizing you've been feeling what I ** _ _**want** _ _** you to feel? ** _ Shukaku seemed awfully amused at the moment, his form sinking to four legs and ambling closer to Gaara. _**I'll let you go right after you face it... I own you, and your bitch.** _

Gaara's hands fisted, his calm face staying in place. He took a step towards Shukaku himself. _You own us? _ He seemed to try and pierce his demon with his eyes. _Prove it. Since I realized you were against me how many times have you tried and failed to get me to bend to your will? Since you realized she was helping me fight you, how many times have you tried and failed to kill her?  
_

Shukaku sank to the ground, looking like he was preparing to pounce. _**Who won at the Chunnins, Gaara? ** _

_I was tricked into an emotional frenzy. You got out on a lucky shot. _

_**I didn't ask you the conditions. I asked you who won.** _

Gaara closed his eyes. He'd had enough of this. He wanted to get back out to Loor, who was probably keeping watch over his body, worried out of her mind. He didn't want to leave her like that for long... He had to shut Shukaku away again and take control of his body.

His eyes snapped open as he summoned his chakra. He brought up as much as he was able, bright blue energy like a snowstorm wrapping around him as he stared at Shukaku. _I do not care who won then... Let us see who will win now._

Shukaku watched Gaara for a moment, snorting before his maw twisted in a grotesque grin, all his teeth bearing.

Gaara smirked at the hole from the missing fang he'd knocked out earlier.

_**If that is the way you want it Gaara...** _ Shukaku did the same as him, bringing his own chakra out, the dark malevolent purple exploding out from the veins on his sandy hide.

_**I will enslave you!** _

The beast roared at Gaara, not even a few feet away from him. Shukaku's open mouth could have dipped and encompassed Gaara's head and shoulders, but the boy didn't bother to take a step back. He just stood there, staring coolly into the depths of Shukaku's maw. At the same time the beast's purple chakra swirled up around him in a huge display, evil winds of a purple tornado with an effigy of the raccoon's face within its surface.

The roar ended. Shukaku closed his mouth, fangs still out, nearly touching noses with Gaara and panting.

The boy hadn't flinched. He stared.

Shukaku remembered a day not two months ago when the boy would have cowered from that, ran and fallen and curled up on himself. Those days were gone, it would seem, unless Shukaku could some how trigger a recession in Gaara's mental recovery from events that happened so long ago. And not a little one, like killing that gutter snipe. No. A huge recession. A full recession.

_Is that your best?_ Gaara asked pointedly. _You won't intimidate me. _

That is when Shukaku attacked.

He leapt back, his magenta chakra surging forward to Gaara. The two chakras clashed as Gaara's crystalline energy flew forward to protect him. At the same time Shukaku ran forward to take his child host on directly, ducking under the clash of their energy and finding the boy under him rather quickly.

_**You will bow soon enough, Gaara... till then, I seem to have a bit of extra chakra floating about. ** _ Shukaku had come to realize there was only one way to strike fear in Gaara anymore. Only one threat he could still effectively place. _**And your bitch is still close to us... I can smell her in here. She's so close to your body, staring probably, wondering how in the world I managed to knock her away when all she can see is our energy colliding. ** _

Gaara had fallen like a rag doll, concentrating on the real battle here, the sparks of chakra flying through the air, the blue and purple trying to wrestle each other down. Shukaku standing over him meant nothing. _What could you possibly do to her from here?_

A blue sheen started to gather around Gaara, as if he would explode the shell outward to attack Shukaku

_**You're not the only who can listen through the other's ears, Gaara. ** _ Shukaku drew his lips back as far as he could, showing his teeth and black gums. His own chakra became gathered like Gaara's was, a purple tail of the poisonous smog going over where a fang was missing and causing it to grow back with a sick _shunk!_ sound. _**I heard everything she said about her... beast. Her Lyra. Perhaps a simple figment of her imagination... but this demon wonders if he could breathe life into that figment with enough chakra forced into the girl's body! ** _

That riled Gaara. He pushed against his demon, coming to stand and then going on the offense, bellowing.

_YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HER!!_

* * *

Loor had been staring at Gaara's crumpled form since she'd been knocked back, panting slightly as the two different colored energies seemed to attack each other while stemming off of the sack of flesh that was struggling to breathe on the floor. She'd gotten up from where she was knocked, daring closer on curiosity.

Gaara's breath was exhaled in screams of disjointed words, inhaled in wheezes that seemed to take every ounce of his strength to suck in.

In the back of Loor's mind she wondered how many people Gaara was waking up. She prayed it was late enough in the night that anyone who did wake up would assume that these were screams of a child throwing a tantrum, not the pained screams of someone who sounded like they were dying.

"Gaara...?" She asked, cocking her head to the side, falling to her knees by him and reaching out. Her hand went through the shroud of his chakra, which seemed to identify her and accept her, flowing up her arm and then back down to his body. Gently she clasped his shoulder, looking up for a second to see the two masses near the ceiling like a twin headed snake, only the heads were trying to eat one another.

Suddenly the purple head seemed distracted, whirling to apparently look at her.

"Oh shit..." She muttered, not letting go of Gaara but ducking down. She looked to where her hand contacted him and found a tendril of the magenta smog starting to twine around her fingers. She was tempted to let go of him and shake her hand off, but refused to do such a thing. She had to be there for him. She had to be...

And the blue sheen seemed to follow the purple, pulling it away, making it break apart.

He was protecting her.

She looked up again just in time to see the purple head about to strike her. It was lighting fast, but she hopped over to Gaara's other side to avoid it, still not letting go. At the same time the blue head went after it, coiling around it and trying to pull it back, but both seemed able to stretch beyond what was needed to reach her no matter how tangled up they got, and in the end they'd flow right in and out of each other after connecting.

He couldn't protect her.

But the purple... it had to be Shukaku... but what did Shukaku want? What could the beast's chakra do to her? It looked toxic, but what was the truth of this matter?

She started up as the purple and blue heads started going at it again, slowly creeping this way and that to keep in contact with Gaara but not touch Shukaku's energy. It looked like he couldn't actually see her, but it attacked before when she touched him. She had to be able to avoid the tendril that kept reaching out over Gaara's body, probably looking for her hand.

Suddenly the purple exploded over him like a pen exploding when the you bend the ink well too far. The purple head lost a large amount of size but the smog all over Gaara's person found her and almost seemed to seize her hand, almost seemed to pull her as it raced up as far as her shoulder, making her fall next to Gaara.

She stared up at the ugly purple thing stemming off of Gaara's person, feeling something in her she hadn't felt for two months and promised herself she'd never feel again.

Fear.

Next thing she knew, the purple... thing had connected with her head. It didn't seem to strike her with any force, but she suddenly felt very... strange. Like pressure on her head. Like fingers going through her brain.

Those fingers suddenly grew nails. Pain spread through her head.

She had to let go of Gaara to clutch her own head, screaming. She rolled away, but the connection was already made.

She had no escape.

Her body seized, struggling to breathe in and screaming to breath out, wishing to bash her head on the floor with as much force as she could to get the burning sensation out of her skull. "... _Geeet.. Get it out!!" _ Was about all she could squeal while nearly crying, pulling her hair, turning into a ball on the floor.

Then there was the cold. It was Gaara, she was sure, reaching out to help her as she could not help herself.

Trying to wrench Shukaku out of her head.

"Oh my gods, what the hell is going on?!"

Temari's voice. Kankuro bellowing. Loor couldn't focus on it. She was losing it.

The pain... oh God, how could something hurt so badly?!

_Roll away. Get away. Break Shukaku's contact._

Loor's head jerked, even in her pain-filled stupor. Those were not her thoughts... Those were...

_Gaara!! _

He must have been too concentrated, trying to defend himself from Shukaku and her, to try and tell his siblings. She didn't know if he knew his thoughts were reaching her, but she had to try and tell Temari and Kankuro what to do! Still, she was hardly keeping her own body in line... she couldn't speak too clearly, and Kankuro and Temari were just trying to get her and Gaara to quiet down before they were found out.

"_A... ah...way...!!" _ She struggled, cracking her eyes open to see what was going on. Temari was standing over Gaara, waving through the purple smog and the blue mist to no avail. Kankuro must have been standing over her. She started to roll herself, trying to put some distance between herself and Gaara. "_For... from... away from him!!" _

She couldn't hear anymore, her ears dropping off of the side of her conscious, as a set of hands grabbed her by the shoulders. She didn't know what was going on for several moments, but she felt the pain ease from her head.

A few moments later she realized that she had been moved again to Temari's bed. There was a cold rag on her head.

She moved her head to the side. Gaara was next to her, staring at her, his eyes wide as if he couldn't believe she was still okay.

"You two came around pretty quick." Kankuro's voice made them both look up. His voice was humorous, but his face was set. His face was clean, probably not bothering with his face make-up since they'd left Konoha. He stood in his pants, his eyes narrowed upon his little brother and his girl.

Temari was standing behind Kankuro, her hair down, wrapped in a lavender robe. "You two care to tell us what just went on here?"

Both Gaara and Loor brought themselves to sit up, and while Loor's eyes were becoming brightly aware within seconds Gaara's body slouched as his whole posture became downcast and silent.

That left Loor to explain. She started at the beginning of her visit, about wanting to learn how to walk on water, coming in, the raw sexuality both she and Gaara had expressed, seeing Shukaku as the reason for Gaara's actions, and calling him out on it. She explained the strange happening of the chakra taking physical presence in the room, how what she assumed to be Shukaku's chakra attacking her, which brought them to where they were sitting now.

But she didn't hang her head. No. She faced Gaara's elder siblings with her strong posture and defiantly set jaw. She dared them to tell her what she did, or what he did, was wrong. Gaara had come on to her, true, but it was not his fault. There was no reason to regret here.

Temari was the first to speak. "Loor, go back to your group."

She was surprised. No reprimand? No punishment? "Eh?"

"I don't care if Naruto knows about us, the adult will begin to worry." Temari's brow furrowed. "Go back to your group. Come back here tomorrow morning, early."

Loor looked over at Gaara. He had been silent the whole time, and even now his gaze looked hollow. Gently she leaned over and hugged him around the shoulders before getting up to leave.

Kankuro ran up to her just as she got to the door and opened it. "Loor." He said quickly.

She stopped and turned, almost glaring at him. She'd had one hell of a night. "What?"

"What do you think Shukaku was trying to do?" He questioned, staring at her. "I mean... that demon can't be up to any good."

She shrugged. "No idea, Kinky-Kun. If he was trying to do something... he must of failed, because I don't feel any different. Just tired."

He nodded, letting her go.

She couldn't wait to hit the pillow.

* * *

The night Ino was supposed to eat at Choji's house had come, and like Choji promised he came to pick Ino up at her place and walk her to his. He was almost nervous about it though, because that day during training she had gone right back to calling him fat boy in front of Shikamaru. He wondered if the night before had just been a fluke of her personality, making her act nice to him for some reason and going back to being mean the next day.

It gave him sweaty hands that he kept wiping off on his top. Without his headband his reddish brown hair was allowed to be free and messy, and he wore a gray colored kimono-type shirt that fell to his knees, a black obi of the male variety around his waste, black pants under that. He hadn't taken out the gold rings in his ears, but he never took those out for anything.

Walking to Ino's house in that get up was unnerving. Everyone he passed who knew him at once asked who the lucky lady was. He was an Akamichi kid and his stomach was getting nervous!

On the other hand, it was a good thing he dressed up... or else walking back next to Ino would have been like a beggar escorting royalty.

She'd taken time to style her hair some, keeping most of it tied back in a bun but the part that usually fell in front of her face was carefully curled into a spiral next to her face. A light application of make up made her face glow, but only if she smiled. As a change from the usual purple of her wardrobe she wore a dark green dress that fell to her knees, a brown braided belt around her hips, a choker of the same style around her neck, and twisted brown sandals on her feet that had straps that crossed all the way to her knees. To top it all off there was a flower the same shade of blue as her eyes tucked into the tie for her hair.

Her father had escorted her out. He was a peppered Jonin who had been on a team with both Shikamaru's dad and Choji's dad. Ino was named after her father too. Their fathers had formed the old Ino-Shika-Cho squad. They were local legends, and one could imagine the expectations the fathers had for the new Ino-Shika-Cho squad.

Thankfully Ino's father had a sense of humor to match his reputation. Instead of acting stern about when Ino got home he joked about making sure she actually _ate_ something for once.

"I want her to have at least three more pounds on her bones when she comes back, ya hear?" He was leaning by his daughter, lifting up one of her thin wrists. "I nearly get sick every time I see this little bone structure with no meat on it."

"Dad!" Ino groused, pulling away from him and dashing her carefully manicured pale blue nails against his cheek. "I'm on a diet, you know that."

"Yeah, and I think you're nuts." He looked up at Choji. "Am I right or am I right?"

Choji couldn't resist grinning and nodding. "You might actually be more attractive if you put on a pound or two, Ino."

She looked shocked. "Choji, you're supposed to be on my side!"

Ino's dad chuckled, shaking his head and giving his daughter a push towards Choji. "Ino, the Akamichi house has some of the best cooks in the world. Enjoy yourself a little bit for _my _ sake at least. And bring some back."

Ino turned, looking like she had half a mind to try and attack her dad, but Choji gently grabbed her arm and tugged, reminding her that they had to go before his parents started to worry.

She sighed, nodding and turning to walk with him. Choji let go of her, and the walk began.

"You look nice." He commented, not really knowing what to say. He felt like saying something like that was a tad redundant. She always looked nice.

"Mom picked out the outfit." Ino huffed. "She said the dress is green... but it could be red or brown and I wouldn't even know."

Obviously, she was still getting used to her colorblind world. Though she had been at training that day she had hardly participated, spending most of it sulking. Asuma didn't push her about it, having heard all about the day before when Shikamaru pretty much rubbed it in Ino's face.

"It's green." Choji confirmed.

She looked at him, cocking her head. She grabbed the sleeve of his kimono top. "What color is this?"

He looked, and suddenly noted something. He'd managed to dress for her vision. He wasn't wearing any color. "Gray."

Her eyes narrowed on him. "That's not funny."

"No, really Ino. It's gray. The obi and pants are black."

"Sure, sure. Make fun of the colorblind chick. I get it." She snorted, looking away from him, frowning. "Probably some shade of tan or brown with a blue or dark green obi, right? Gods you boys are all the same, making jokes that aren't funny."

Choji sighed. He could have said something about girls being all the same, thinking the world was out to get them. "Sorry." He muttered instead.

She was still huffy. Her blue eyes were glaring around. In a few moments she called out one of the many people they were passing by, an older woman who looked like she was on her way home with a bag of groceries.

"Excuse me, ma'am?" Ino asked, getting the woman to stop. "Could I ask you a favor?"

The woman, who seemed to be in a humoring mood, stopped and nodded. "What can I do for you deary?"

"What color is his outfit?" Ino questioned, pointing at Choji.

"Eh?" The woman looked at him. "Gray and black. Very simple but it looks quite nice on him."

Ino glanced at Choji, who had abandoned his own sulky look for a slight smirk that was a tad smug. "Yeah..." She muttered, looking back at the woman. "I thought the same thing. Funny he's wearing gray..." She bowed. "_Arigato." _

The woman went on her way, and Ino looked at Choji again.

"You mean that?" Choji asked.

"Mean what? That it's funny you're wearing gray? It is a little funny--"

"No, that you think it looks nice on me."

She stared at him for a second, and then giggled. "Yeah, I mean it Chubby. Now lets going. Your parents are gonna get mad if we take much longer."

Choji and his father were almost clones, only the senior Choji Akamichi had dark red, almost purple, hair that went slightly past his rear. He was also just as round as his son, though Ino learned through one bone-crushing and slightly dishelving hug that there had to be a lot of muscle in that chub.

Choji's mother, who had been setting the table for dinner when they arrived, was not what you'd call a fat woman. She was not a twig either. She had well shaped curves and perhaps the extra fold here and there. Ino settled that the correct term to use was 'plump.' She could afford to lose ten or twenty pounds, but she looked fine the way she was.

Walking in to the Akamichi compound at supper time... Ino had to admit the smell was _heavenly._ Someone, she assumed Choji's mother, certainly knew how to cook.

Five seconds into the house Choji's father excused himself to go help in the kitchen. Apparently it was something the parents did together. Choji decided to show her to the dining room so they could settle before dinner started.

The dining room was obviously a very important room when it came to an Akamichi family. It was huge, to start with. Ino bet they were used to having big parties. The table was big enough to match the room, wide too instead of the usual narrow design. It was a traditional low table with cushions to kneel on, and though there were enough to accommodate at least twelve people there were only four places set with chopsticks, plate, and cup. Tea had already been set in the middle of the table, which Choji told her to help herself to.

She nodded, letting herself down to one of the fat cushions and serving herself. Choji went across the table, sitting opposite of her.

It wasn't much longer till the adults came in, putting down more types of food than Ino cared to name. There had to be four different things from each food group, all of which steaming some delectable aroma or another. Ino was shocked, nearly falling back off of her spot as Choji's parents sat down.

"Uh... are we waiting for someone else?" Ino questioned, staring. No way four people could eat all that. No way.

"Hm?" Choji shrugged. "No. We're all here."

"But this is enough food for an army."

"Maybe an army of Yamenaka people, but for a couple of Akamichi this is just fine." Choji's mother chortled. "Though Ino, your father could hold his own against an Akamichi in an eating contest."

Ino thought of her father. Yeah, he probably could.

Choji's father shifted impatiently. "Can we hurry this up? Some of this stuff is only good when it's hot."

"Right." Choji's mother bowed her head a little. "Go right ahead everyone."

"_Arigato!" _ Both boys gave before grabbing their chopsticks and serving themselves.

Ino sat there like she didn't know what to do. There were too many choices. She had no idea what to pick, seeing as she had to limit herself to one plate to stay on her diet. There was no way to try everything if she stayed with one plate though.

Slowly she grabbed her chopsticks and picked and chose. She was very selective about it, watching what the others took and going after what seemed to be the most popular things. Once served she started eating and found it all tasted just as amazing as it smelled. Everything was great!

She still ate slow compared to her hosts. She had finished her plate as Choji's mother finished her second and is father was going in for thirds. She looked around at the fact that despite the large amount of food it was all being eaten down to the platter.

She blushed as she felt her stomach grumble after the first plate. She was still hungry. She looked at Choji, who was right behind his mother in finishing his second plate. He saw that she had finished her plate. He was also aware of her diet. She was looking for help, and excuse, to go for guilt free seconds.

He shrugged, his eyes telling her he didn't know what to say.

"Um..." She felt herself going bright red. "Can I have more?" She almost whimpered.

Three sets of eyes locked on her.

Both adults started laughing, Choji's father taking her plate from her to serve her up some more. "Of course! Plenty here. No need to ask."

"Ino, what about your diet...?" Choji stared at her.

Ino looked over at her plate being filled and smirked. "Just don't tell my ma, _hai?" _

* * *

That's it for now people…. I'll put more up as my editor finishes with 'em. Bear with me here. I've been writing like crazy… it's likely I'll have four or five new chapters next time. XPPP Oh well.

The fic must go on!

**I don't own it; so (don't) sue me!**

Reviews make me happy!! (And might even make me write faster… maybe. XD)

(PS I'm sorry this one came out to be so freakin long!!)


	27. An Hour Too Early

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Twenty Seven- An Hour Too Early**

Fury woke up curled up with Kiba for the first time in a week and some. It was a great thing to be sleeping in the same bed with him again, now that she was out of the hospital and back in their apartment. Still... she cracked her eyes open and found that it was way too early to be up, so she shifted in her warm spot, nuzzled the part of Kiba's arm that was under her head, and prepared to go back to sleep.

There was a dog in her face the second after she closed her eyes. She could smell the puppy breath, but she tried to ignore it.

The dog whined before licking her. Fury growled, cracking an eye open to see Schizo's perked up ears, Akamaru behind her.

"Guys..." Fury muttered, sighing and turning her head down into Kiba's arm. She was trying to hide as Schizo came to lick her again, Akamaru joining her.

"Pups are hungry, eh?" Kiba asked, sitting up slightly.

"When'd you guess that one, Einstein?" Fury grumbled. "Get 'em off of me before one steps on my arm."

He snorted. "Yes your highness." He chuckled sarcastically, slipping his arm out from under her.

She nipped at one of his fingers as his hand passed under her shoulder. "Sarcasm not helping..." She winced. As she became more awake she became aware of the pain in her arm. At the hospital they kept her pretty numbed up, but back at home she could feel the pain of the broken bone healing and the pins that were stuck in it to keep it in place. "Where are those meds they sent with us...?"

"I'll get 'em. You go back to sleep." Kiba patted her, kissing her cheek before getting up. Both puppies followed him as he went to get them breakfast with the various vitamins his mother had sent for them. Akamaru's breed was already known for size but if Akamaru and Schizo ever wanted to get to the size of the pair that bred them they'd have to have those vitamins to keep them from outgrowing their own bones. It actually slowed the growth process down so their weight gain wouldn't cause their bones to break during high amounts of activity.

Seeing as Akamaru was already training as an _Inu Shinobi_ , or dog ninja, and Schizo would be trained as one, they were going to have a lot of activity in their futures. Both Schizo and Akamaru had their own bowls. Once he'd filled them and added the proper pills he put the bowls on the floor.

"What time is it...?" Fury asked, having lifted herself out of the blankets anyway. The sun wasn't up.

"Too damn early..." Kiba yawned, scratching his stomach while shifting things in a cabinet in the kitchen area, unearthing Fury's painkillers and bringing them back to her with a glass of water. "Before dawn."

"Man..." She took the pills with her good hand, two white horse pills that were supposed to knock out her pain. She worried they'd screw her up too, but the nurses assured her that many medications had been developed to knock out pain and not the person thanks to most people taking them being shinobi. "Back at home the only times I'd ever wake up before five were the ones where I had to go to the bathroom really bad." She popped the pills into her mouth and let Kiba tip the glass of water to her mouth without her help. She'd gotten used to him doing such things for her.

"How do you take both of those pills at once...?" Kiba asked, raising an eyebrow as Fury swallowed. "They look big enough to choke on."

"I'm used to medications." She shrugged. "I could have dry-swallowed those things."

He made a face, obviously grossed out by the concept. Once she took her painkillers they separated for the day, agreeing to meet up outside the Hokage estate around noon for lunch. Fury went with Schizo, deciding for her first day with Gai's team she might as well be early and make a good impression. Schizo had taken a place on her head, and Fury had her good hand up there to pet the dog for most of the walk.

The sun was just coming up when she made it out into the woods.

She assumed no one would be there.

She was wrong.

As she entered the clearing she found Neji. He was sitting in the center of the clearing, his white eyes closed. He almost seemed to be meditating, off in his own world.

She feared getting any closer, not wanting to disturb him.

"I know you're here."

Too late.

"Hi Neji." Fury muttered, coming in closer.

"You're awful early." He noted. "Someone with an injury should be getting more rest."

"Yeah, and so should every other person in the world, but I'm not giving _you _ any crap." She sighed, sitting on the grass and letting Schizo slide to her lap.

"I get what I need, nothing more, nothing less." He took in a deep breath, holding it for several seconds before sighing it out. "But one's needs might be defined by the person, so I may have no place in scolding you. I just don't want you to damage yourself anymore before you are able to train with me."

"You said you wanted to teach me a jutsu... what is it? What does it do?"

"Correction... I misspoke before. I want to give you the tools to make your own techniques. There is a ninjutsu TenTen was working on... but she abandoned it because she found it better to hone different skills than chase after what she believed to be a lost cause. I still believe the jutsu can be perfected... but I have no use for it, so I haven't tried to perfect it myself." He opened one white eye, looking at Fury. "But you... I believe you would have quite the use for it."

Fury, who had been petting Schizo, looked at Neji with curiosity. "What was it supposed to do?"

"It was supposed to cause weapons to home in on a target. Simply enough, make it so a person would never miss, even if your tools were knocked away. In the case that they were... they'd be something like magnetically drawn to the target." Neji's other eye opened as Fury's expression grew very interested. "The flaw that TenTen kept running in to was that more often than not the tools would be attracted to the wrong thing. She used the jutsu according to her line of sight... but if her eyes focused on the wrong thing her weapons would focus on the wrong thing."

"So the only real problem is the actual targeting."

"Exactly." Neji shrugged. "But her aim is near perfect already, so she stopped perusing it."

"Wait... for me to perfect it instead..." Fury's hand stopped petting Schizo, causing the dog to whine. "Isn't that stealing from her? Did you ask if she was okay with it?"

"What do I care about her approval? She's a shinobi. She should know sharing information, even with a team mate, can end up with that information in unexpected hands."

"Harsh." Fury muttered.

"The shinobi world is a harsh one. If you don't like it, Fury..." Neji smirked. "You can always quit and let your sister have all the glory."

That caused an angry twitch to go through her. Schizo got up out of Fury's lap and growled at Neji.

"We start the day my hand gets out of this _stupid_ cast." She snarled.

* * *

Ino's team was still training with Kiba's, and Kiba was surprised to see that Ino and Choji were the very first to the training grounds that morning. They were even earlier than him, and he had woken up at a time so early it was out of character for him.

On the other hand... any time before noon was out of character for him.

When Kiba saw that it was Ino and Choji in the training area he had the instant instinct to hide out and watch them, seeing as the two were also talking to each other.

"Choji, I'm gonna gain weight and its all your family's fault!" Ino proclaimed, though she was giggling too for some reason. Strange. Kiba would think she'd be crying about gaining weight, not laughing.

"Hey, we didn't _force _ you to eat three plates worth!" He was chuckling too. What was this all about?!

"Plus dessert." She chimed.

"Which was completely optional. You could have just had a cup of tea and called that it."

"Chubby, show me a girl who can turn down chocolate ice cream and I'll shoot her to put her out of her misery!"

Kiba felt himself twitching. Ino... and Choji... discussing food? Ino _did _ eat at Choji's house the night before, but he was pretty sure Ino would have stuck to her diet and ate next to nothing.

And since when did the nickname Chubby replace the usual insult of fat boy?

Something _seriously _ weird was going on here. Akamaru, in Kiba's hood, started sniffing the air as if to make sure it was them.

"Yeah... it's them all right..." Kiba muttered, his brown eyes narrowing in curiosity.

Kiba decided to walk into the scene just as Choji pulled out a trademark bag of chips to start munching. Despite Ino's attitude change she still turned her nose up at Choji's chips, and the friendly atmosphere died the second Kiba walked up. Instantly Ino went back to the sulky face she'd been holding all yesterday, turning away from Choji and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Morning." Kiba greeted, yawning.

"Hey Kiba." Choji muttered while munching still.

"What were you two talking about?" Kiba asked, holding a secret grin. Obviously, Ino was trying to preserve her pride.

Kiba wouldn't stand for that.

"Eh?" Ino looked shocked, and Choji swallowed just a tad too quick, almost choking.

So they were both trying to keep it a secret? Oh, this was just going to get too entertaining.

"Oh, nothing... I just thought I heard something about Ino eating three plates last night, but you're on a diet, aren't you?" Kiba showed a fang in his smile. "Of course... I must have been hearing things. No way twiggy Ino would ever eat like that."

"Twiggy?!" Ino snapped. "Who the hell you callin' Twiggy, dog boy?!"

Akamaru, in Kiba's hood, barked at Ino as Kiba brought all of his canine-like teeth to bare. "Who do ya think, Twiggy? I'm not callin' Choji that! He's the healthy guy."

"Well for your information you heard right, you puppy!" Ino stormed at him, glaring with her colorblind eyes. "So you can take that Twiggy comment and go to--" She broke off, turning bright red. "Oh shit..."

Choji's face palmed. "So much for not telling anyone."

Kiba grinned, Akamaru yipping with his tail wagging. He pet his dog, turning to lean against a near-by tree. "My work here is done."

* * *

Loor probably got all of five seconds of sleep, and when she woke up from that she had a splitting headache. Getting back to the hotel the night before Naruto had already gotten in and was sleeping, and Jiraiya arrived a few moments after she did. He had been very drunk and almost instantly passed out on his pillow after getting in.

When Loor woke up she found that Jiraiya was already gone and Naruto was shaking her awake.

"Imoto-chan!" He gave, staring at her. He was still in his nightclothes, looking to have just woken up himself. "Imoto-chan, talk to me!"

"Mmm...? What...?" Her eyes squinted through the pain in her head. She assumed this was what a hangover felt like... though she'd never been drunk in her life. "Nii-san... what time is it...?"

"Eh... just after dawn... too early to think about it. What happened last night? When did you get in?"

She put a hand on her forehead, trying to bring her thoughts together. "Last... last night... Talking with Gaara's..."

"Sabaku's." Naruto corrected.

"Sabaku's." She agreed. "Sabaku's siblings... they want to see me. I..." She yawned. "I have to go..."

"Imoto-chan..." He seemed intense. "I... I felt Shukaku's energy up there. Their room is right above us. I thought I heard screaming but I think I assumed it was a nightmare cause when I woke up all the way it stopped."

She winced.

"It's a long story... you should come with me."

Naruto nodded, and she slowly got up. She had not bothered to undress the night before, just pulling on her green coat and moving along. Naruto, who had hardly had time to get his normal orange pants on before she moved, yelped as she was at the door, pulling on his black sleeveless shirt and leaving his coat behind. He could come back for it.

It was quick trip up the stairs before Loor and Naruto arrived at the door and knocked on it.

A black haired woman answered, though once she saw Loor she let the transformation go, revealing herself to be Temari. "Get in here." She hissed, looking to be very awake. She dragged both Naruto and Loor in without question, shutting the door quickly and growling.

"What's wrong now?" Loor questioned. Temari was obviously tense.

"Gaara." Kankuro said, walking up. "Last night he wouldn't talk to anyone after you left... and this morning he was missing."

"What?!" Loor and Naruto snapped at the same time, the two having been in the process of taking off their shoes.

"Yeah..." Temari sighed, shaking her head. "We can't go looking for him. For all we know he could have gone out in his natural form, and that's going to put us all in a world of trouble. Its not even close to the full moon yet..." She trailed off. "But... with what happened last night Gaara could go feral."

"Feral?" Loor questioned.

"That's what we call it when Shukaku comes out." Kankuro explained. "He's out there somewhere... With how he looked last night it's only a matter of time before he starts killing people."

There was silence. Loor's face had gone so pale even her freckles looked green.

"Oh no... I get this..."

"Get what?!" Temari questioned. "What's to get, Loor? My little brother is going to go on a rampage the second night falls, if not before!"

"No, no, it's more than that! Don't you see? Gaara got it after his fight with Naruto! He understood, that he had to keep attempting connections with people if he every wanted to be known as anything other than a monster, but he's having trouble giving up the power his hate originally brought him because he tried to defend me out of love and failed! He's losing confidence in his new belief, and Shukaku is probably taking advantage of it! He's probably making Gaara..." It was Loor's turn to trail off.

Those memories. Memories of Yashamaru's death. Memories of his father trying to kill him. Memories of people rejecting him.

Memories of hate. Shukaku was making Gaara relive those memories, triggering recession. Loor had to get to him soon... or all would be lost.

"This is my fault." Loor concluded.

"Eh?" Naruto was confused. "Loor, you've been helping him since you met him, believe it!"

"Naruto, think about it." Loor looked at him. "If I had never been here... you would have still fought him. You would have still made him understand after that fight. Sure, he wouldn't have me... but he still would have gotten it, and the situation last night would have never happened. He'd still be believing that you taught him was right, and he would have gotten home to cement that belief in his mind. His whole recovery..." She realized. "Would have happened without me."

She was expendable.

She shook her head before anyone could say anything. "Either way. I made this mess, I'm going to clean it up. Naruto, you go to training. I'll find him."

"Loor, if you think I'm just going to walk away with this on my mind--"

She turned to him, snarling. "You're going to do it cause we don't want to alert Jiraiya to what's going on!"

He stared.

She continued to glare. "I know I snapped. I'm not apologizing. This is very serious. I know you care about his condition... about helping him, but this is _my_ responsibility."

Slowly, very slowly, Naruto backed off. "I can still help." He said, smiling slightly, not really fazed by her outburst.

"How?" Kankuro and Temari asked in the background.

"How do you think?" Naruto grinned. "Shadow clones!"

Loor smirked. "I like the way you think, buddy. You can carry on training... but you can make clones like no one's business to help me search."

"Sounds good... but what do we do?" Kankuro asked.

Loor glanced at the two. "I guess all you guys can do is wait... I'll bring him back. Try not to worry."

Temari sighed, nodding and moving away from the two. "Good luck you guys..."

"Yeah. And remind Gaara to keep his hands to himself!" Kankuro joked.

Loor sighed, rolling her eyes. "Kinky-kun, shuddup."

* * *

It's the middle of the night. Loor got struck by inspiration. She's getting this out of the way so you people won't whine because the next update might be a little off…

You see, this inspiration was for a different story.

VoW fans… I think I finally found the muse for the next, and final, installment in the VoW sister stories.

Prepare… Errol shall return.

Oh. He shall return.

-Evil laugh-

**No ownage.**

Reviews make Loor happy.


	28. Human

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Twenty Eight- Human**

_He stood, staring at a photo of his mother. Well, he was told it was his mother. He could never know if that was the truth, or if his sister had lied to him. He had never beheld his mother's face, never known what the woman who birthed him looked like._

_He had never known her. But he stared at her picture all the same, wondering what the feeling was in his chest. It pained him, a constant ache he knew every time he stared at that picture, like pressure on his heart. It was the only pain he had ever known... and it was unbearable. _

_He clutched his hand around the object in it. The knife. He held his wrist up for it, staring at the pulse in his own thin wrist. Blood. He had to bleed. There was no other way to escape... he had to get away. He had enough of all this; that ache in him. _

_He lifted the knife, arcing it down with all the power he could gather in his little arm. _

_The point of the knife collided and bounced off of a barrier of sand. It came out of nowhere, but he knew the sand by now. It always protected him. Protected him every single time he tried to hurt himself, or whenever his father's hired killers came after him. Every single time... the sand was there, protecting him whether he liked it or not. _

"_Gaara... don't do that." _

_He turned, looking up. "Yashamaru..." He muttered, his six-year-old voice sounding like a pathetic croak. He still held the knife to his wrist, as if he could saw through the sand. _

"_Don't do that." His uncle repeated. "It hurts me." _

_He glanced back at the picture, noting that his mother looked very much like her brother Yashamaru. "How can it hurt you...?" He asked, looking back at his uncle as the man came closer. _

"_I don't know Gaara, but it does." Yashamaru said this while reaching for the knife to take it from him. His little hands didn't want to let go, but Yashamaru's hands slowly made him let go. "What's wrong...?" _

_He stared at his uncle, who had knelt down to his level. His face was so soft, so kind, and almost womanly with violet eyes and tawny hair. Yashamaru was soft spoken too; owning a kind voice that still gently insisted that he answer him. _

_Still... he saw the marks all over his uncle from earlier that day. When he had... used the sand to try and make a child play with him. He had become so angry, angry enough to kill the child..._

_But Yashamaru got in the way. He had bandages on, a medical pad taped to his cheek where a cut had been. _

_He didn't understand what it had to be him. Why he had the sand. _

_He looked to the sand, the bit that had protected him, how it had fallen to the floor. Slowly, he lifted his hand to his chest and clutched where his heart beat. "It's not bleeding... but it hurts." _

"_Sounds like a wounded heart." _

"_A... wounded heart?" _

_His soft smile widened. "Yes. There's only one cure for a wounded heart, and that's love Gaara." _

"_Love...?" He stupidly repeated after his uncle. His eyes wondered back to the picture of his mother. "Did... did she love me?" _

"_My sister never got to meet you Gaara... but she's still your mother. I know she loved you, even before you were born. She loved you very much. I think that's why the sand protects you... That's her love, following you even though she's dead, making sure her last baby is protected." _

_He stared at the picture, and then looked back at Yashamaru. His uncle was holding out the knife for him to put away. Slowly, he reached for it, his clumsy hand pulling it and then panicking as Yashamaru winced. _

"_Oops." He uncle seemed to find the small nick on his finger funny, a little cut that Gaara had inflicted pulling the knife from his hand. It was just a little bit, and Yashamaru quickly put it into his mouth to suck on it._

_He turned to put the knife back on the table where he got it and then turn back to his uncle, grabbing his hand from him and sucking the cut for him. _

_Yashamaru chuckled. "Gaara... you're a good boy. You know that? But you have to let me go... I think it would be a nice gesture to take some medical supplies to that child's house tonight as an apology for you hurting him." _

_He was suddenly hit with an idea. He let his uncle go, a sudden hopeful look on his face. "Let me do it!" _

_At first his uncle looked surprised... then pleased. "Sure." _

_He felt good about what he was doing. He felt good about the bag in his hand, felt good about trying to say sorry... felt good about trying to cross a bridge instead of having Yashamaru cross it for him. It made him feel hopeful. Maybe the boy he hurt would be his friend... maybe things would change._

_Maybe the ache would go away. _

_He knew where the boy's house was, knew where to go, knew to politely knock, knew to bow his head the second the door opened and offer the bag up._

"_Medicine!" His little voice gave. "For your wounds. I'm very sorry!" _

_He looked up at the boy. There was still an open wound on his shoulder. He knew the medicine would do him well. _

_The boy stared at him, shocked to see him at all. He held the door open for only a few seconds._

"_Go away, you freak!" _

_The door slammed. _

_He stared. The memory grew fuzzy._

_Blood. Invigorating blood with anger. _

_His hands were empty. He was walking away through Suna's streets, dazed, angry, and sad. _

_Adults pass him, frowns abound, mutters of freak, monster, demon, and all other manner of ugly names. _

_He stopped at the corner of a street, staring at one man who leaned against the wall. This man... he stared back in a way that pierced him. _

"_Kazekage-sama..." _

"_Gaara." _

_He stared at his father, who stared back with disdain beyond all reasoning. _

_He wanted to tell his father that this was all his fault, that if his father hadn't used the ninjutsu to infuse him with that demon he would have never been like this, and his mother would have never died... but his father preferred to blame him._

_And perhaps it was his fault that it went this way... maybe his father was right, that it was him that was the monster, not the demon. _

_But that would make everything his fault. Everything. _

_He turned from his father and ran. He ran as fast as his little legs could take him, back to where he could talk to Yashamaru... where he spent his days away from his father, the days he didn't spend with his older brother and sister. _

_But... Yashamaru wasn't there. He looked everywhere, the only comfort found in the abode being an old teddy that belonged to him. He must have left it at Yashamaru's compound... _

_He took the teddy with him, clutched it to his chest, where it felt it belonged. Then he took off toward the Kazekage's building. He felt the need to be alone again, where no one could hurt him. He wanted to go to the rooftops of the palace, and that is where he went. The people around the place knew better than to try and stop him._

_Not when he was crying. Not when he was in such pain. _

_The roof. It was his place, his favorite place to be alone. _

_It was a place he could sit and look out. Look and see. _

_And he did look... and found the full moon looming above him. It actually caused him to calm down, but his tears still came. He rubbed them into the teddy in his arms, sobbing loudly. _

"_Why...? Why me...? Why did it have to be me?" _

_He questioned this into the teddy's fur, holding it hard and staring at the moon. _

_A sense in his mind tingled. He yelped in surprised, turning his head just in time to see that someone was behind him... a shinobi, one of sand's jonin in full armor up to a cloth mask over their face and a helm over their head. The sense was the sand, protecting him from incoming kunai that the shinobi had thrown. _

_The fight was lost to memory... but he remembered crushing the shinobi. He had used the sand, like he always did to kill people. _

_But the scream. The voice._

_He feared... did he know it? _

_He came to the fallen shinobi when the fight was clearly over. Still the ninja drew breath... but he would bleed to death soon._

_He dared to remove the mask, dared to see the face of one of the ninja his father sent to kill him. _

"_You did well... Gaara..." _

_Yashamaru's face. Yashamaru's eyes. _

_Yashamaru's blood. _

"_Yashamaru...?" _

_He felt as if he was falling, the rug pulled from him. Didn't Yashamaru care about him? Love him in his mother's stead? _

_Hurt. Betrayal. Anger. _

_He clutched his heart again. _

_Yashamaru smiled. "You did very well." _

* * *

Loor was frantic, running every which way despite the fact that she was in a city. Her fear of all the people and buildings was there and trying to get her to stop in her tracks, but her worry over Gaara pushed her harder than that. All over the place she could feel Naruto's clones, though most of them were far from her, running in other directions. Naruto had made a great many of them and had them travel in pairs. If a pair found Gaara one would stay with him and try and get him to hold still while the other would run to find Loor.

It was as good as the plan was going to get.

She was still going crazy. She had no idea what kind of torture Shukaku could put Gaara through right now... while Gaara was so vulnerable. He'd go right back to...

To his six year old mentality. He'd recess.

She had to get to him! She had to help him!!

She started running through back allies, skirting some people in the shadows and then using chakra focus to scale a wall and take to the roofs. God_damn_ it where was he??

She reached into her pocket for something she'd pulled out of her pack before the started this search... the vial of sand Gaara had given her about a month ago back in Konoha. She knew he got weird while he was being mental, and was hoping the sand in the vial, since it was the type that Shukaku created, would react to his chakra once she got close to him. It was a long shot but she was looking for anything.

There had to be something...

She brought her chakra up, feeling around. It was something she was getting particularly good at, feeling about for people or things with her chakra alone. At first it was as if she wasn't going to get anything...

Then she felt someone coming up the building right behind her. Yelping she came out of her stasis and turned, breathing a sigh of relief when it was one of the Naruto clones coming to find her.

"We found him!" The clone cried with Naruto's usual jubilant attitude for a job well done.

"Where?" Loor questioned, turning and getting ready to follow.

"Outside the city, not far from the gate! He was huddled up against the wall."

"Huddled up?" Loor sighed, shaking her head. It was good that they found him... but huddled up anywhere was not a good thing.

"Come on! Let's go!"

She nodded, following the clone quickly and closely. Now that her impending fear over Gaara was gone her weirdness about the city came back. She was glad the clone moved fast, taking them to the wall of the city and outside it. The clone, once outside, pointed in the direction to follow the wall before vanishing in a puff of smoke. Apparently Naruto couldn't spare chakra to keep that many clones working for so long. That was okay; she knew where she was going now.

She took off, digging her toes in and moving as fast as she could. It wasn't long at all before Gaara came into view. Just like the clone said he was curled up against the city wall in the shadows.

How did one know it was him? He wasn't in disguise. He was dangerously exposed for who he was, his gourd even on his back. He must have left the hotel insanely early for no one to neither see nor recognize him.

She could feel his energy... it was all over the place. He was curled up against a stone wall, clutching his brain case and... was he...?

He sounded like he was almost whimpering. Almost crying.

"Gaara..." She muttered, shaking her head. She didn't bother for the covert name. There was no point. Her voice was soft, she made it so. Slowly she walked the last few paces she was from him, kneeling down to take his shoulders. His body shook like a leaf, but she managed to get his head to settle in her lap, stroking his hair like she used to.

She missed his old reactions to the first times she touched him, how unaccustomed he had been to someone else's touch.

"Gaara..." She called to him, again and softly. She had hopes to bring him out of stasis, but she didn't expect any major reactions quickly.

Oddly enough she got one. His hands, which had been clutching his head, suddenly flew to grab her arms, digging his nails into her. It was as if he was struggling against a giant weight, his breath straining as he pulled himself closer to her.

She felt a soft smile take, even if his nails were beginning to hurt. She wasn't going to push him away. "Gaara. Talk to me Gaara. I'm here for you."

Slowly... his shaking stopped. His head lifted out of her lap, looking up at her smiling face. His eyes seemed not to know who she was at first but she didn't mind. She bent and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him up in a hug she felt he needed, even if he was limp.

"Why are you here?" He asked, his voice near silent. She was lucky he was right by her ear.

"Cause I care." She answered, nuzzling his neck. "Now come on..." She started to lift him to his feet as she got to her own. "Up we get."

She tried to set him on his feet but he was all too quick to lean his shoulder against the wall. He seemed so weak... so feeble.

"What... what did Shukaku do to you?" She questioned.

"Shukaku...?" Gaara's eyes seemed misty. He was lost. "He... nothing. He did nothing... I was just remembering..." His eyes closed, shaking his head. "It... it was my fault..." he frowned. "It was all my fault."

"What was your fault?" She questioned, reaching to him again, steadying him as it looked like the weight from the gourd was going to drag him back into the dirt. "Are you talking about last night...? Shukaku didn't hurt me. Nothing changed. I'm fine."

"But..." He closed his eyes. He was stuck in his memory.

His body went ridged as he underwent another flashback. Instantly he swatted Loor's hand away, putting it over his face, his upper lip twitching up like an animal would reveal half of its maw just to show off a fang. "Prey... everyone... no... someone isn't..."

She felt adrenaline. Shit, he was arguing out loud! That might have been okay for her, but knowing Gaara it meant Shukaku was too close to the surface for comfort.

"Gaara!" She snapped. "Look at me. Tell me what my name is."

Slowly, one eye opened. It narrowed at her. "...Loor."

She nodded. "What am I to you?"

His blank face made her think that he didn't understand the question... but then he became a little more aware. "Someone who loves me... someone I love."

She sighed, nodding again. "And what are you?"

Again, he had to think, seeing as she glared at him when he half formed the answer 'monster.' After several seconds he got what she was getting at. "Human."

She smirked, nodding. "Good. Don't let Shukaku _ever_ convince you otherwise."

* * *

Tee hee, Loor liked this chapter. XP Even if the whole beginning was shot from the hip. You see, I couldn't find the episodes that had Gaara's actual back-story, so I filled it in from memory. I know some of it might be wrong… but I think I got the right effect across.

Oh yeah. New pole in my profile. Go vote.

**No ownage.**

Review please.


	29. Again

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Twenty Nine- Again**

"Oh, that was close Fury. You only missed one target that time."

Fury panted slightly, looking back at the slight audience she had while practicing with TenTen. After lunch Kiba had come with to watch her continue the weapons practice she'd started that morning, and he was the one who had spoken to point out she had only missed one out of the eight targets she had been aiming for with her sinbons.

It was a pretty simple thing that TenTen had set up. Out of the clearing and into the woods TenTen had set up eight different targets at various points of a small run through the trees. The whole point was to get through as fast as possible and hit all of the targets along the gauntlet. The one Fury kept missing was the fifth one. She was yet to hit it even once when she'd gotten all the others.

"Again." Neji called.

TenTen rounded on Neji at the same time Fury did. "Neji, I believe _I'm_ directing this exercise." TenTen snipped. "Anyway, it's Fury's choice if she wants to go again. I don't want her to hurt herself by trying too hard." TenTen looked over at the silver haired student. "What do you think, one more time before we pack up?"

Fury, still panting, nodded. "One more time."

She knew she'd be able to get them all with her strong hand, but this was all about training her weak hand. She was just lucky that the few times she'd biffed she hadn't landed on her bad arm.

TenTen nodded, resetting a stopwatch she had in her hand. "Right... you ready?"

Fury took her stance, looking up at the first tree in the gauntlet. The branch she had to get to was ten feet up. She started gathering chakra to her feet.

"Set!"

She tensed.

"GO!"

Fury took off, leaping at the tree and letting her feet connect to it to run up two steps before leaping for her first branch. She hadn't a hand to grab it with, as her first target was right in range, a tree down the way and even with her line of sight. Her left hand dug into her weapon's pouch, lifting a sinbon and flicking it at the target, kicking off the branch she was on before she had time to lose her balance.

She held on the next branch, two targets below her on the ground. She hit them both as she jumped over them, looking down to confirm the hits before focusing on the next tree she had to land on.

There wasn't a branch there. She had to stick her feet to the trunk. Her right foot, which was the 'high' foot, tucked close to her body while her left foot extended down to help her keep her balance. She reached for a branch above and in front of her with her good hand and took hold before swinging forward to the next tree, turning back to the tree she had been on to see the target on the side she hadn't been stuck to, tossing another metal needle through the air to pin the bull's eye.

Next was number five!

She kicked forward, launching herself over three different branches, gulping her fear about the next move that TenTen had been trying to teach her.

Launching herself at this high speed into a tight spiral, using the split second she'd be facing the sky to fire a weapon at a target on an overhead branch with no nearby perches to attack from. The spin maneuver was the only way.

Fury had mastered the launch, but she was yet to figure out when was the right time to throw because she could hardly see the target while in the spin. She still tried, throwing the weapon and then focusing on landing on the next branch without wiping out.

She managed that much, hitting her next branch and kicking up higher. She used chakra on her feet to keep her balance as she leapt forward, her hand in her pouch retrieving three needles.

The last three targets were in a vertical line on a tree trunk, one that she was hopping towards in the thick tangle that was the middle to upper reaches of the forest. She flicked her hand, each finger releasing a fraction of a second apart, landing each sinbon in its proper target before stopping herself and letting herself down the system of branches to go back to the clearing as quickly as possible, still on TenTen's clock.

She arrived back in the clearing panting even harder, feeling the wet spot that had already been on her back getting all the bigger.

"Fifteen seconds!" TenTen grinned. "That was faster than last time."

"Thanks..." Fury tried for a smile. Kiba had already taken off to collect her thrown tools for her.

Fury turned to find Neji using his byakugan to find which targets she missed before Kiba got back to report the number himself.

"Can you wait for Kiba to get back?" Fury growled in his direction.

"Can you ignore me?" He returned, seeming smug that he'd irritated her.

Kiba returned, holding all eight of the sinbons Fury had thrown. "You still missed number five, but only by a little bit. You hit the branch right next to the target."

"Again." Neji said once more.

Fury and TenTen glared at him. "No." TenTen gave. "It's time to pack up. I'm sure a lot of us still have to go home for dinner Neji."

"Yeah, Neji." Kiba chuckled while giving Fury her tools. "If you were in charge you probably would have killed her by now."

Fury held back a whimper. Neji _was_ going to be in charge in about five weeks.

"I see no problem in demanding perfection before one ends training for a day." Neji was watching Fury with eyes that said his mind was on the exact same thing that hers was on... how things were going to be once he was in charge of her training. "Even if it does get close to killing a person... quitting should not be in a shinobi's vocabulary."

Fury got chills from making eye contact with Neji, and Kiba was picking up on it. "Hey, bright eyes, cool your jets! She's not quitting, we're just ending it for today." Kiba hugged Fury from behind around the shoulders. Schizo, who had been on Kiba's head because Akamaru was not willing to share the hood, crawled onto Fury's head and growled at Neji.

He looked at the group that was glaring at him and sighed. "Whatever you say."

TenTen, who had been standing behind the tense scene, let out a sigh. "Geez you people... I'm going to go see Gai Sensei and tell him how far we got. He's visiting Lee right now... might as well go see them both." She began to walk, waving. "Later!"

Kiba nodded. "Right... Fury, I think it's dinner time."

She looked up at him. "My stomach agrees with you." She said, giggling. She'd been hungry for an hour now but she wasn't going to stop training with Neji watching. "Where we going tonight?"

Kiba smirked at her. "I was actually thinking..." He trailed off. He looked up and saw that Neji was still there. He had his byakugan activated again, seeming focused on something in the woods where the course was. "Hey, Neji, don't you have a home to go to?"

"If you have a problem with me hearing your conversation you can have it somewhere else... I'm looking for the sinbon Fury lost earlier in the exercise. I do not like leaving something out there for a wild animal to find and get hurt on." Neji smirked slightly. "I would like Fury to stay here till I find it so she can put it away."

Fury rolled her eyes. She had forgotten about the sinbon she'd lost when TenTen started her on this. When they first started this early in the morning Fury had been missing nearly every target and, like Neji said, one of the sinbons was never found. "Alright..." She muttered, looking at Kiba. "I'll meet you back at the apartment. Then we can talk."

Kiba shook his head. "No, no. Actually... meet me at my team's usual training grounds in about an hour. I have a really good idea for dinner." He was slowly coming to smile. "Here, I'll take Schizo with me."

He lifted the puppy off of her head, almost grinning now.

"Oh... okay..." Fury laughed a little bit at the goofy grin he was wearing. "I'll see you in about an hour then."

He waved, running off.

She had to wonder what he had in mind.

After a few seconds she turned to Neji, sighing. "Find it yet?"

"Yes." He nodded. "Wait here."

Without waiting for her to respond he melted into the brush. She growled several obscenities after him, but she didn't have the guff to say them very loudly. It didn't take long for Neji to come back, holding the missing sinbon in his hand. He handed it to her with a smirk and not a word.

But the smirk... that oily smirk. As she took the sinbon from him and managed to put it away, he said it.

Just one word.

"Again."

She twitched, looking up at him. "Training is over."

"So?" Neji was looking down at her. "You want to improve. I want to teach you." He leaned down slightly, being taller than her. "_Again." _

"I've got to go meet Kiba for dinner." She defended, backing up. He was starting to scare her.

"You've got an hour." He suddenly appeared behind her, using the dash technique to get there. "Do this now or I will refuse to train you later." He threatened. "Now do it again."

She felt her heart skip, pain going through her arm. She was late for her second dose of painkillers... but..

She sighed, stepping up to the staring point. "Ready." She muttered, defeated.

"Set." He said, sounding superior.

She promised herself that when Loor came back that right after she was done beating her big sister's ass she'd turn around and kill Neji.

"Go!"

* * *

"That was faster than I thought." Temari commented. "Where did you find him?"

Loor was smirking, sitting on Gaara's bed in the sand sibs hotel room with Gaara's head in her lap. Even if Gaara was mainly recovered from his mental attack he felt tired. For the time being he would relax. "Right outside the city wall. I think I was right about what Shukaku was doing to him... making him go through painful memories to re-assert his own control and try and make Gaara go back to the way he was."

"And you managed to get through to him?" Kankuro seemed amazed. Both he and Temari were sitting on Temari's bed to talk to Loor. "Crazy... way back when, only Temari and Yashamaru could really get through to him when he was being all insane..."

"Yashamaru?" Loor questioned. She didn't know the name.

"Our uncle. Our mom's brother." Temari explained. "And Kankuro you could never get through to him cause you never tried."

"Yeah, but you kept his stuffy collection." Kankuro argued. "How am I supposed to compete with that?"

"You're not supposed to compete, you were supposed to be there for him." Temari sighed, shaking her head.

"I... am here... you know..." Gaara muttered. His eyes were closed, his ashen insomnia vivid on his face.

Loor chuckled. "Yeah, but you look like you're sleeping."

"I'm not..."

"Well at least you're talking again." Temari giggled.

"So why did Yashamaru stick by if your dad kept trying to kill Gaara?" Loor asked out of curiosity.

"Yashamaru... well, he loved all of his sister's kids. Even if the Kazekage wanted one of them dead." Temari shrugged. "I liked Yashamaru, and he was a lot like mom. Always caring, never really lost his temper..."

"Always gave the best New Years gifts." Kankuro added in, chuckling.

Temari rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure Kankuro." She looked back at Loor. "But six years ago... Kazekage-sama had sent all sorts of shinobi after our little brother... and then decided that someone close to Gaara might actually stand more of a chance of doing any damage. When the mission came in... I don't know how Yashamaru felt about it, but even if he didn't like it orders were orders. One's loyalty to the village always has to come first."

"And... I killed him." Gaara muttered.

Loor brushed her hand over the scar on Gaara's head. "That's when you did that."

He nodded feebly.

"Your dad is a jerk, you know that?" Loor shook her head. "Who tries to kill their kid?"

"Someone not qualified to be a dad." Kankuro muttered. "He didn't care much about any of us. Yashamaru was more of a dad than he ever was, even if he was like... Mr. Mom." He turned to his sister. "We never found out of that guy was gay or not."

"Kankuro!" Temari snapped, giving him a whap over the head.

"Nice, guys." Loor looked back down at Gaara. "How much longer do you think you're gonna be down like this?" She asked, brushing her hand over his hair again. "I still gotta learn that technique from you."

"Eh? The chakra concentration thing?" Kankuro asked. "Any of us three could teach it to you, easy. But there isn't any water in this town."

"Already had the problem solved." Loor answered. "Using the pools in the bath houses."

"Oh." Kankuro got a doggish grin. "In that case I volunteer to teach you."

Both Gaara and Temari glared daggers at Kankuro while Loor laughed.

"Kidding! Kidding! Stop giving me that look, Gaara! I'd never even think of touching your girl, okay?" Kankuro snickered even as Temari reached over to whack him over the head again.

"If you're in a hurry to learn I could teach you." Temari said, getting up. "Seeing as... we're probably going to take off for home tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Loor questioned. "Wow. So soon?"

"We have to report back." Temari reminded. "Much longer away and the village will assume we were KIA or worse... missing Nin. With how fast Gaara is healing we should be able to make the trip now... Tomorrow is going to be best."

"Right..." Loor slowly eased Gaara's head off of her lap. "Then... I guess now is my only chance, eh?"

"That it is." Temari nodded. "Let's go."

Loor led the way out. The bath houses were practically next door to the place, and after going through a transformation to make herself look like a black haired woman Temari tipped the lady at the front real good so they would not be bothered. It didn't matter where you were... money talks.

Loor didn't really care about nudity, but Temari made her wear the white towel for shame's sake while in the bath pool.

"Okay, you've learned how to walk up walls and trees, right?" Temari asked. Her voice was altered by the transformation too, making her completely impossible to recognize.

"Yeah, I learned that a while back. I got basic chakra focus down." Loor sighed while tucking the towel around her body. She didn't get while Temari was being weird about it. It wasn't anything either of them hadn't seen before.

"Good. Now with the walking on water technique you do the same for walking up walls and trees, only you have to constantly maintain and change the amount of chakra you have focused to keep your balance, or you'll fall in." Temari, standing at the edge of the pool with Loor, put her hands together in the seal for ram to demonstrate.

Loor concentrated as she felt Temari manipulating her chakra to her feet. Slowly she stepped out onto the water. Her first foot caused a slight ripple but didn't sink into the water. After a few seconds she became sure of her balance and moved her other foot out onto the water. Loor could feel her maintaining it instead of just sticking her chakra down there and keeping the same amount. The water was a shifting surface... and Temari's chakra was working with it.

Loor watched as Temari put her hands down and walked freely on the water as if she was walking on normal ground. Once she was on the other side of the pool she turned to Loor.

"You try."

Loor nodded, putting her head down and putting her hands together. She felt her energy come up and grinned. It had been a while since she intentionally brought up her chakra for anything... or at least it felt that way. She'd done shadow clones and the sexy jutsu of late, but both of those events felt rather far away.

Oh well.

Concentrating she forced her chakra to her feet, the usual amount she'd use to stick to a tree. Once it was there she took a step out onto the water.

Okay, now _that_ felt weird! Loor nearly lost her charge thanks to how odd it felt to have warm water under her foot but not be sinking into it. She trusted her weight but her foot didn't fall through.

Loor gained confidence, moving her other foot onto the water rather quickly.

She regretted it just as quickly. She stood on the surface of the water for a second before suddenly pitching forward, losing her balance as the water shifted under her, and falling in.

She came up to Temari laughing, glaring and whipping her hair out of her face.

"Don't worry Loor, everyone falls in the first time." Temari giggled, leaning down, splashing water in her direction. "Anyway, what's the fun in playing with water unless you get a little wet?"

Loor glared, walking over and grabbing her arm to pull her in the pool so they'd be equally wet before continuing with practice.

* * *

That's all for this update people. I'll be back… sometime next week I hope. I've got more chapters but currently don't have the machines to get them to this computer. I honestly think I have up to chapter thirty-seven now… I think. XP

I just need to get them to this machine, but till I manage that I'll be working.

God I love this job.

**No ownage.**

Once again, go check out Loor's new pole on her profile. Only takes a second.

Reviews are loved.


	30. Dinner

**Markings- Middle Ground  
****Chapter Thirty- Dinner**

Loor was grinning victoriously. She had managed to master walking on water in half an hour! It really wasn't that much harder than walking on trees... she just had to push herself. It was funny... after a while she had been ready to give it up, tired of falling in the water and getting it up her nose, but Temari gave her the extra push to keep trying, and shortly after that she got the hang of it.

And now she was dancing on the water to show off her balance. It was all about flowing. You had to feel it when the water flowed and changed and then change your chakra along with it, either more or less or pressing to the toes or the heel according to where the water was flowing.

Of course... Temari didn't stop after half an hour. After Loor got calm water down Temari sat at the edge of the pool and started splashing. Of course this caused the water to shift and flow at random.

This also caused Loor to fall in a few more times before she got it again.

"Down in Suna we don't even practice this on water." Temari commented when they finally decided they were done. "We'll take a group of Genin out and find quicksand. They tend to learn pretty quick. Not only is the sand hot... the accompanying Jonin say they won't help anyone who falls in."

Loor snapped a look to Temari, in the process of getting dried off with a new towel and getting dressed. "Seriously?"

Temari smirked. "They're just told to say that to scare the kids. They keep real careful watch and help anyone who stays under for more than fifteen seconds. Part of the technique is once you've really got it you can use it to take hold on sections of water or pretty much anything but air like they're solid and use them like stepping-stones. In the case of quick sand, some kids who've picked that up will pretend to fall under to mess with the others then use the technique to quite literally climb the quicksand like a ladder and get back to the surface."

"Wow..." Loor giggled. "Sounds useful."

"You bet. Chakra focus is very important to being a shinobi." Temari, still wearing her black haired disguise, led the way back to the hotel once they were both dressed. "After their first year walking on water and up walls and trees is almost second nature to most nin."

Loor nodded, thinking about it. Most shinobi had to use such techniques all the time just traveling from place to place.

Amazing.

Temari stopped outside the hotel. "Listen, we'll be eating soon. You're welcome to join us... since we're taking off tomorrow."

Loor nodded. "Yeah... but what about Naruto? I'm sure he's gonna miss Gaara too."

"Go get him." Temari instructed. "We'll wait up for you."

Loor nodded, turning to brave the city on her own once more. She could survive one more trip by herself.

Just one more... then she'd stick to Naruto every day.

Anyway... she had some water balloons to pop.

* * *

Fury was huffing. She was tired, she was sweaty, and she was in more pain from her arm than she could imagine was possible.

But she did it.

She'd hit target five.

She'd hit them all, actually.

In fourteen seconds.

Neji stood over her as she went to her knees. It had taken her countless tries, seeing as Neji followed right after her to count out her time out loud and collect her weapons as she threw them so when she finished a run she could go again without waiting or resting. Neji was relentless, constantly crying the same word.

"Again!"

To every single failure.

"Again!"

No advice.

"Again!"

No help.

"Again!"

Not even a hint to improve.

"Again!"

But then... she lay there, on her side, panting into the dirt as he dropped eight sinbons near her hand.

She half expected him to say 'again' just because she fell, just because she could probably do it faster now that she had the hang of it.

But he knelt, smirking at her. "You have half an hour still, Fury. Was that so hard?"

She lifted her head, panting and growling at him. "You... go to hell... sensei."

"Only if you send me there." He replied, standing up again. "I'm going home. Have a good night with Kiba."

She stared after him as he began to walk. That was it? No 'good job'? No 'I'm impressed?' No pat on the back for all the extra work she did? She had damn near killed herself!! Or at least it felt like it.

In anger she found herself on her feet, scooping her sinbons off of the ground and throwing three of them at him. Neji, of course, saw them coming and ducked, his steps stopping to look back at his student.

"Not till your arm is healed, Fury. I'm sure our spar can wait till then. Why, I think there's only thirty-three days left on that wait. Five weeks is thirty five, and as of tonight it will have been two since you left the hospital."

"You are _so_ dead once I have both hands." She said, glaring at him.

He turned his back once more, taking the sinbons out of the tree they'd sunk into instead of his back. The threw them back at her so they stuck in the ground at her feet. "Careful, Fury. If you become the dragon in battle you will be no better than your sister. If you really do wish to kill me... focus your passion into your training, not the fight."

She looked down at her needles, huffing and leaning down to pick them up. When she looked up again, he was gone.

"Good riddance..." She muttered, putting her sinbons away. Happy to have half an hour before she had to meet Kiba she went out of her way to take a long walk and cool off her temper. She didn't want to get to Kiba and be overly temperamental.

Thanks to her walk she arrived right on time, seeing that Kiba had beaten her there. When she got there she found he had both dogs with him, Schizo happy to see her and climb up onto her shoulder. Akamaru was already in Kiba's hood, and Kiba was wearing a backpack.

"What's going on?" Fury asked, cocking her head to one side, petting Schizo no matter how sore her left hand was now.

"Well..." Kiba smirked, motioning into the brush. Looked like they were bushwhacking. "You mentioned that no matter where we went to go out to eat that the dogs couldn't come with, right?"

"Right. I said I felt bad about it." Fury confirmed as he led the way, following.

He nodded, holding a large branch out of the way for her on their way. He seemed to know where he was going. "I figured out something we could do instead."

She opened her mouth to question what, but then closed it. She'd see soon enough. Instead, she asked a different question. "Kiba... did you grab my painkillers?"

He stopped, looking at her. "Eh? Oh, yeah, of course. I had guessed you wouldn't stop back at the apartment. Here, can you wait? I don't wanna make you dry swallow those things."

"Kiba, I'm an hour and some late in taking them. You have _no idea_ how much pain I'm in. I don't care about dry swallowing."

He shook his head slightly, putting a hand in a pocket and pulling out the bottle, opening it for her and handing her two of the large pills. She quickly swallowed them, not caring about the lack of drink. Shortly after that they made it to where they were going.

Where they were going turned out to be a grassy hill that stuck up out of the landscape of the woods. It was just a hill, simple as that, with flowers growing down the side. It wasn't tall enough to clear the trees around it, but Konoha's forest was full of giants. It would take a mountain to overcome those things.

Kiba went to the top of said hill. When he got there he sat in the grass and took off the pack on his back, opening it up. After a few seconds he had produced the comforter off of their bed, spreading it on the grass and bidding Fury to sit down.

A few moments later he started pulling out take-out boxes from one of their regular restaurants that they went to on the various dates they'd been on. "I knew the dogs couldn't come into the restaurant... so I decided to bring the restaurant outside."

Kiba had planned a picnic.

"Kiba..." Fury was grinning, her painkillers also kicking in. "That's so sweet."

Schizo and Akamaru yipped, wagging their tails.

Kiba laughed. "Yeah, the dogs think so too."

She smiled. She had been thinking of telling him what Neji did to her... but decided it would ruin the mood. There would be other times to gripe about the extra training. A dinner that Kiba was sweet enough to plan wasn't it.

* * *

Dinner with the sand sibs was like a mini-vacation from everything. Loor had no idea why, but it felt like hanging with her own siblings plus a couple friends. She had to admit... Temari and Kankuro were very much like her own elder brother and sister... Temari had practically raised her younger siblings just like Ann had played parent while Loor's father worked all the time when she and her brother were younger, and Kankuro was the middle sibling that made the bridge between Gaara and Temari now and then... and got blamed for just about everything, just like Paul.

It made her a little sad, but Naruto wouldn't allow sad feelings to hang over them as they all sat on the floor helping themselves to cheap take-out that Temari had picked up. The conversation was loud, funny, and went through everything under the sun from Naruto's recent training to the sand sibs old child hood memories.

No one, but no one, brought up their going home the next day.

"Hey, Temari, you remember that one time I kidnapped teddy?" Kankuro asked, grinning, putting his chopsticks down. Most everyone was already done eating.

Temari and Gaara, though Gaara had not spoken for most of the meal, instantly locked onto Kankuro and answered at the same time. "Yes."

Gaara sounded like he was going to kill Kankuro just over the memory.

"Teddy...?" Loor questioned, looking between all three of the sand sibs, confused. Naruto was too, his chopsticks sticking out of his mouth as he had been sucking on them since he finished eating.

Kankuro seemed to be the only one willing to talk about it. "Yeah, teddy. When Gaara was little he had this one teddy bear stuffy and he would carry almost _everywhere_ with him. Well, one time when he was like... five I think, I got mad at him and stole it."

Gaara didn't seem impressed with the memory. "I was afraid I'd lost it... looked everywhere..."

Temari rolled her eyes. "And when he found out Kankuro took it he broke his leg. Took him off of the ninja academy for two months... gods dad got so pissed about that one."

Naruto and Loor looked at each other, and then at Kankuro.

All three started laughing as Temari and Gaara continued looking unamused.

"Why were you mad at him in the first place, Kankuro?" Naruto questioned. "I mean, it had to be something big for you to forget messing with your little brother is a bad idea, believe it!"

Kankuro snickered. "Honestly? You _really_ want to know?" He said for the sake of suspense.

"Duh!" Loor nipped, grinning.

"I took dad's hat, the Kazekage hat, right? It's just like the Hokage's hat, it's bowl shaped and it's got the country's symbol and color on it. In the case of the Kazekage hat that's blue and the symbol for wind, but it's the same shape, like a wide bowl. Well, I nabbed the thing one day, took it down to the palace kitchens, placed it up so it looked like a bowl and filled it full of fruit. No one down there noticed, but Gaara saw me do it and the little red headed shorty..." Kankuro glared at his little brother for effect. "Snitched on me!"

"That's all?" Loor questioned.

"That's all?" Kankuro asked indignantly. "Whadda ya mean, that's all? Dad had me stuck down in the kitchens for weeks sweeping and scrubbing floors! That deserves revenge, I don't care _who_ it's against."

Naruto and Loor burst out laughing again, shaking their heads at Kankuro's impotent rage.

"No one touches teddy." Gaara growled at his big brother. "You got what you deserved."

Kankuro smirked at Gaara. "Yeah, yeah, at least I grew out of those toys!" He leaned over to Loor and Naruto. "Seriously, you wanna know something funny about him? He--"

Gaara gave an icy look to his brother. "One more word and I'll break something else of yours. And you never did grow out of toys... they just got bigger."

"What are you talking about, Gaara?" Kankuro questioned, now leaning towards his brother.

"What are the puppets you fight with, _Nii-san?_ You still play with your toys, they just got deadly. And mine cause me to be deadly if you take them."

Temari rolled her eyes again. "Boys, that's enough."

"Cha." Loor muttered. "No need to start war over the dinner..." She stopped herself from saying the word table. "Floor."

Gaara glanced at Loor, then nodded, getting up. "I'm going for a walk." He announced.

"By yourself?" Temari questioned.

"No." He answered. "Loor is going with me."

"Eh?" she looked up. "I am?"

He gave her a look, raising a non-brow. She instantly got it.

"Oh, right, I am! See you guys. Temari, no killing Naruto." Loor said this while getting up very quickly, waving to them.

Gaara used transformation right before they left the room, making himself look like a tan skinned black haired youth dressed in a simple red kimono top and black pants. He had left the gourd behind so there was no extra transformation to disguise it. Once that was done they left the hotel and moved quickly for the city gates.

Gaara noticed Loor's nervous reaction on the way to the gates.

"Claustrophobic?" He asked.

"Urbophobic, if I have my Latin prefixes right. Urb means city, so urbophobic, fear of cities."

"Strange fear to have."

She looked at him, smirking. "At least I have one, eh?"

He nodded slightly, happy to see her relax as they left the city behind them.

"So... you wanted to talk, I assume?" She asked.

"Since last night... have you felt strange?" He asked in return.

She thought about it. Strange? "No, not that I can think of. Aside from a monster headache this morning I feel perfectly normal. Well... normal for me."

He nodded slightly, frowning to himself. They were walking further out from the city, and he let his disguise drop, going back to looking like his normal self. "Last night Shukaku was trying to give life to Lyra. He was trying to make a demon out of her with his own chakra."

Loor felt herself twitch. "He tried to do what now?!"

"You heard me." Gaara sighed. "I feared he would succeed... I didn't want you to go through what I go through. Everyone's fear, flashbacks... the pain." He gently placed his hand over his heart. "But... if nothing changed, he failed. Kankuro and Temari must have pulled us away just in time."

Loor nodded, thinking to herself. "Gaara... I have a question."

He looked at her. His eyes inquired.

"What is a _biju?_"

He stared at her. "Where did you hear that word?"

"Long story, just answer the question."

"A _biju_ is a person with a demon in them. A person like me, or Naruto." His ice blue eyes seemed worried. "Why?"

"Someone thought I might have been one."

"Shukaku was trying to make you into one."

She nodded. "Well then... it's a good thing you saved me, _hai?_"

"Saved you?" He asked. They had made it to the top of the bowl the city was built in. "How did I save you?"

"Last night... I don't know how you did it, but I heard you thinking. You were thinking about how to break the connection with Shukaku... and I managed to communicate it with Temari and Kankuro. If not for that, they might have pulled us apart too late." She actually smiled. "So you saved me."

He gave her a look, then shook his head. "I remember I saved you once before and you threatened to kill me for it."

She shrugged. "Maybe I'm getting used to it."

He nodded.

Silence.

"So... you'll be leaving tomorrow." She sighed.

"Sadly."

"And... I'll never see you again."

"That's what we thought last time." He looked to her as the moon started to rise, one third full. "And here we are."

"We got lucky, Gaara... dumb lucky. It's not going to happen again." She turned to him, staring at him. "Do me a favor, Ga-Ga-Kun... let me go."

His icy blue eyes contacted with her electrical blue eyes. They stared for several seconds.

"You won't let me go, _Kuro._" He answered. "Why should I let you go?"

"Because, Gaara..." She sighed, shaking her head. "You can't let the first time you fall in love be your only time. If you hang on to me, it's just going to hurt you because I'm not going to waltz back into your life. I'm going and I'm going to stay gone."

"What about you?" He questioned.

She broke eye contact. "I'll... I'll survive, like I always do."

His hands came upon her shoulders. "_Kuro..." _He gave, stepping close. "_Koishi," _He corrected himself with the word for loved one. "I don't _want_ to let you go."

Her eyes glanced at him, how close he was. Slowly she let out a sigh. "What do you want?"

"I want you to come with me."

"You know that won't work."

"You asked."

She glanced at him again, and finally gave into the urge she'd been resisting. She turned to him and met his lips, her hands taking up on either side of his face, begging time to stop for just those few seconds as she kissed him. She had no idea what she was going to do without him...

His hands wrapped around her middle, drawing her up against him as her hands tangled up in his soft red hair.

_Please... please don't go._ Her heart pleaded.

But her head knew better.

The next morning he'd be gone... and the next part of this adventure would begin.

* * *

Yeah, I realize some of this chapter was sorta... filler-ish but I'm hoping I made some people laugh before the sad stuff between Loor and Gaara. XP

I hate those hats... .

**No ownage.**

I'll see you punks tomorrow with the next one. I'll be putting them up one and a time now so I'll have less pressure on me when it comes to writing them. XP

Review please!


	31. One Month Past

**Markings- Middle Ground  
****Chapter Thirty One- One Month Past**

"Well, well, well... Loor, I thought you had given up on trying this jutsu."

Loor was grinning up at Jiraiya, standing beside Naruto. It had been thirty days since the sand sibs took off for Suna... and today, about a month later, their group had checked out of the hotel to move on. Jiraiya said he got a tip from someone saying that Tsunade was seen in a place called Tanzaku City.

And in those thirty extra days spent in this city... Naruto had not only brought Loor up to speed with him in his training, but also helped her to master the second step at the same pace as him. After Loor learned walking on water and how to master flows of chakra she was able to use Naruto's two handed trick to pop the water balloon easily, and together they had learned how to burst the rubber ball.

Loor has also come to know the pain Naruto had been suffering in his hands. It had something to do with overusing the chakra network, Loor was sure. There was some damage being inflicted by how hard they were pushing, but at least it was getting somewhere.

Jiraiya stood before them, his hands on his hips, and his pack on his back. "Well." He said, looking at the two of them. "Lemme see you do it. So far all I have is your word that you can do it. Show me!"

Naruto and Loor looked at each other, the grins they were already wearing getting wider. "_Hai!" _

Both drew out their own white rubber ball. They were perfect mirror images of each other, honestly. White ball in the right hand, left hand circling around it to cause the conflicting currents as chakra gathered, and after several moments...

_BAM!! _

Apparently both Naruto and Loor put on an extra bit of power in front of their sensei, the explosion from their balls being extra turbulent. Both kids flew back and landed on their butts.

Jiraiya smirked after a moment, clapping. "Not bad at all... though I never thought you'd get past the first step, Loor."

Loor was quickly getting to her feet, offering a hand to Naruto and helping him up. "Well, I'm just full of little surprises, eh?"

"That you are... but as I've already said it's time to move on from here, so would you put your packs on? We don't have much time to lose, Tsunade could move on."

"Hey, hey, hey, sensei!!" Naruto yelped. "We can't move on yet! You said that there are three steps to this training, right?" Naruto held up three fingers to make his point. "But me an' Loor have only cleared two!" He folded one finger down. "How can we move on when training isn't over??"

"Yeah, Toad Sage." Loor seemed a little miffed. "You're not trying to short sell us, are you?"

"We don't have time to wait!" Jiraiya snapped at the two kids, shaking his head. "Anyway... you can do the third step while we walk."

Both kids perked up. "Really?"

"Really." Jiraiya reached into a pocket, pulling out a normal old not yet inflated balloon. It was red with yellow stars on it, Loor noted, though she was sure it made no difference. Their white haired sensei put the balloon to his lips, filling it with air and tying it off, putting the balloon into his palm. "Let me show you the last step. Mind you, this is the hardest step of all! You have to use one hundred percent of what you learned in the first two, and even then there's very little chance that you'll ever perfect it."

Both Loor and Naruto nodded, staring at the balloon intently, as if it was going to do something even more spectacular than explode.

They continued to stare for several moments.

Naruto grew fed up. "Pervy-Sage! Nothing's happening!"

Jiraiya grew smug. "I beg to differ. Look at my other hand." He held up the other palm. "I'll now show you what is going on inside the balloon."

Loor and Naruto watched in awe as what looked like a small typhoon gathered in Jiraiya's empty hand. It was air, swirling and twisting, clashing and flowing, all chaotic and yet kept to that little sphere...

Kept compact, moving so fast and spinning so powerfully.

Naruto was getting it as fast as Loor was. "Oh...! Step three is to keep all the power and speed up without breaking the thin skin of the balloon!"

"Exactly, Naruto!" Jiraiya let both what was in the balloon and his empty hand fade, grinning. "You just keep getting sharper all the time, don't you?" He held the red balloon on a flat palm and blew it in Naruto's direction, inflating another one for Loor, a yellow one, and blowing it in her direction. "Now, let me show you why this is important."

Jiraiya turned to a tree that was next to him. "This is what this jutsu does when you've only mastered the first two steps." He said, pulling one hand back. Loor watched as something similar to the thing he'd conjured up before gathered in his hand, only less compact. It was just as fast, just as fierce, but it was bigger and the currents were more spread out. With a cry Jiraiya thrust this swirling mass of air forward to the tree he was facing.

The ball carved a swirl about an inch deep into the tree.

Loor and Naruto yelped and covered their eyes to protect from flying splinters.

Jiraiya waited till they were looking again. "And now... what happens when you've perfected the third step." Once again he pulled his hand back, the compact typhoon appearing in his palm. Once more, he thrust it into the tree, only the thing didn't dissipate on contact. No, instead the thing stayed together and started _chewing_ through the tree like some sort of hand held chain saw, carving a tunnel in the tree about four times bigger than the ball was, the stuff flying off nothing more than fine sawdust.

Naruto looked amazed. Loor just twitched while trying not to fall on her ass. _That _was what she was trying to learn?? Insane! In a good way, but still insane!

She looked down at the yellow balloon in her hand and sighed... it was time to move again. Jiraiya gave them time to grab their packs and, for Loor, time to secure Ryu to her back. Once that was done they started moving, Jiraiya giving both her and Naruto several balloons to inflate on their own as needed.

They were off for Tanzaku city.

Loor wondered how deep they were going to get here... something about their future reeked of a snake.

And she only knew a few snakes.

* * *

Fury was overjoyed. She had gotten her cast of three whole days early! It had taken some sweet-talking to Dr. Sumeyo, but eventually the woman allowed it, telling Fury not to go too crazy.

The first thing Fury did, after taking her first un-assisted bath in a month, was hug Kiba with both arms.

The second thing she wanted to do was go and pay her peer sensei a visit.

The extra pushing on the target exercise had just been the beginning of the hell Neji had put Fury through for the past month. Every single training exercise that she failed to finish in normal training he forced her to finish right after everyone left, always preventing her from running off or anything like that. There were no words to describe how badly she wanted a piece of him after the first week, or two, or three, or four.

But after that forth week... she stopped hating him and focused. Neji wanted nothing more but to help her reach her potential... and with every little task he forced her to finish he was succeeding. She knew she had been getting stronger.

Now, after four days of hating him less and working more, she wanted to go and inform her sensei that she was ready for the next stage. Schizo tottered after her, like she did every day. Kiba had heard about what Neji had been doing from Schizo since Kiba could understand the pup, but Neji made no attempt to do it while others were around. He'd just make some excuse for Fury to stay behind the others and then begin his form of training.

Eventually Kiba gave up on stopping him. Fury had resented it a little when Kiba did that, but forgave him. There was nothing he could do about it.

Fury found Neji where she usually found him, out near the training grounds. Shortly after noon he was waving off TenTen and his sensei as the two excused themselves for lunch, he himself staying. Fury already knew that Neji generally skipped lunch and indulged in both a large breakfast and dinner, leaving him with no excuse to be inactive in the middle of the day.

She watched from the brush as he went to the center of the clearing. He seemed to be waiting for something.

Or someone.

Slowly, she entered the clearing with the usual wariness she kept while she was around him. "Neji."

"Fury." He actually turned to look at her for once. "I'd have to say something is missing."

She lifted her right arm, her newly free arm, and waved. "You noticed."

"I thought that was still--"

"Three days away?" Fury shrugged. "I talked the doctor into letting me free a little early."

The air went tense. Fury went over all the promises he'd made over the last thirty days, of spars and training that she'd never forget.

"Well then... I'll meet you tonight." He smirked at her. "This place, at sun down."

"Hm?" That surprised her. Neji was usually one to get things done quickly, not make appointments for later.

"That's the same place... same time... the same fight as the one I had with Loor." Neji was almost grinning now. "For just about the same reason. Come at sun down, and be ready. I am not known for taking it easy on people."

Fury stared at Neji for a few more moments before she slowly nodded. "Sundown. You got it."

Schizo whined at her owner, having sat at Fury's feet for the whole exchange. Fury looked down at her and offered a smile. "Don't worry, Schizo. It can't be that bad."

"Can't be that bad?"

Fury jumped. Neji had suddenly gone behind her.

"I nearly killed your sister, Fury. You think about how bad it could be."

Fury felt her anger and the constant mention of Loor, but quelled it. Rage would get her nowhere. "As I recalled you barely won that fight... so perhaps _you_ should think about how bad it could be."

She could feel him breathing down her neck, as if he was waiting for something. Or maybe he _was_ thinking.

"We shall see, Fury."

"We will see." She muttered as he left.

Once he left she sat down, rubbing her head. "Dear _God _that was weird!" She muttered, looking at Schizo. "If I didn't know better I'd say he was planning on killing me... on the other hand, he could be."

Schizo whined, licking her owner's cheek and nuzzling her.

"Yeah, I know Schizo... chin up. Gotta face it head on. Can't have weak knees while I'm fightin' him."

She lifted herself to her feet, picking up her puppy and letting Schizo settle on her head. "Time to go home?" she asked the pup.

Schizo yipped, seeming to agree.

Fury got moving, taking a deep breath. Even though Loor's time away had given Fury all the time and space she needed to breathe for the first time in ages, Fury was beginning to worry about how Loor was doing. She had been away for a whole month now... Fury celebrated her own thirteenth birthday just two weeks ago, while Loor was away, and Lee's birthday had just come around a week after that on November twenty seventh. There had been a small celebration at the hospital.

Funny... Lee was fifteen now but he looked more depressed than anything at the party. She visited him now and then to see how he was doing, though she would only go if she was joining TenTen in seeing him after training. He'd put on a happy face for TenTen and herself, but Fury had a sense that Lee wasn't nearly as happy as he was pretending to be.

His recovery had hit a plateau. He was able to get around with one crutch now, did physical therapy every day, but it seemed that he had ceased to get better... and he could feel it too. He was stuck.

Of the team it was obvious Gai was the most crushed by Lee's poor mood, and even more obvious that Neji cared the least. Fury resented Neji even more for that than anything. Lee may not have been his friend but Lee _was_ his teammate. The least Neji could have done was cared a little... but instead if the two ever saw each other Neji would take the opportunity to smirk superiorly at his fallen comrade.

Schizo, on top of Fury's head, seemed to be picking up on Fury's negative thoughts and growled at her. Fury chuckled, taking Schizo's noise as the equivalent of a casually tossed out 'lighten up, would ya?'

They had arrived at the apartment, and Fury reached to Schizo. The dog wore a collar now that was nothing more than a length of red cloth. Still, on said collar, was the house key, so Fury quickly slipped the key off the dog, unlocked the door, and gave Schizo her collar back while entering.

Fury noticed there had been something on the ground outside her door as she set Schizo down on the floor inside.

"Hm...?" Fury took a look at the object outside the door, picking it up. It was a scroll, like the mail she'd been getting from Kabuto at least once a week. It was just another letter, it seemed. This caused Fury to smile. She'd gotten Kiba to teach her more Kanji so she could understand the letters without his help, seeing as it was more than obvious that Kiba resented Kabuto keeping contact.

So she closed the door, opened the scroll, and drifted into the bedroom as she started to read.

_Fury,_

She giggled at the fact that the first symbol in her name, Kanji style, translated to the word 'fool.'

_My sensei and I will soon arrive in Tanzaku city. It's taking us so long because my sensei has been very ill, but while we are here we will be seeing a doctor. I hear some of the sights here are quite beautiful, even if Tanzaku is full of places to gamble. We will have seen the castle by the time you read this, I'm sure. _

_I'm sad to say this Fury, but I fear my sensei and I will be gone much longer than planned. We got news the other day that something bad is happening near here and once we're done with the doctor my sensei and I will be going to handle it, so I won't be seeing you for a while._

_I'd almost gotten used to you cleaning my glasses for me too... oh well, guess I'll have to do it for myself._

He had drawn a face there on the scroll, like a smiley face with dashes for eyes and its tongue stuck out. She giggled at it, shaking her head. "Kabuto... you flirt."

The next line shocked her.

_I saw your sister on our way today. She didn't notice me, but I was surprised to see her. I thought she was still in Konoha. Naruto and his sensei were with her. I have to wonder what they're doing in Tanzaku City, but I didn't take the time to stop and ask her. _

_Perhaps I will tomorrow. I know she doesn't like me but I've never known when to stop extending the hand of friendship. _

_That's all for now. I will write when I have the chance. _

_Kabuto._

Fury giggled once again, seeing as he had drawn a little heart at the bottom. He was sweet, she'd say that much. Still, he was like... eighteen and very far away. His affection could do no harm there.

Schizo had been in Fury's lap once Fury sat down on the bed she and Kiba shared, and like all of Kabuto's other letters Schizo took two whiffs and started to growl and bark at the piece of paper as if it was going to explode in Fury's hand.

Fury snorted at her pup and rolled the scroll up, leaning over the side of the bed and stashing the letter under the bed with all the other letters she'd gotten from Kabuto. There were five now, and he flirted in all of them. Kiba knew about the stash and Fury was sure he'd read a few of them just out of a slight jealousy directed towards the sliver haired boy.

Fury also got offended that Kiba would disrespect her privacy like that, but it _was_ Kiba. He was just... being a dog, making sure he knew all the threats to his female. When she thought of it that way she was more flattered by his jealousy than annoyed.

Fury heard the door open.

Speaking of...

"Fury? You in here?" Kiba's voice called.

"Our room." She answered, laying back on the bed. She thought a nap would be a good idea, so she wouldn't be tired for the spar with Neji.

Kiba came into view, standing in the doorway to their room. He had taken off his coat and was in the process of removing his shirt. By the smell Fury would guess it had been a tough day at training cause he was reeking of BO and there was a clear sheen of sweat on his face.

She'd gotten the day off of training that day just because she got the cast removed that day. Said cast, and the pins that had been in her arm, were in a box under the bed. 'For memory's sake' she'd told herself.

"You're home early." Kiba commented, getting his shirt off and dumping it on the floor. Fury would clean it up later in a fit of OCD. "No shit from Neji today?"

"Sorta." She shrugged, sitting up as he sat by her. "He wants to fight me tonight."

Kiba gave her a look. "You just got out of that cast. You sure you're up to it?"

"I can't refuse him." Fury looked down, laying back again. "If I did I'm sure he'd give me hell the next day, or just refuse the training he promised me."

Kiba frowned as Akamaru entered the room. Schizo jumped down from the bed as her brother entered, the two of them jumping at each other and tussling on the floor while their owners talked. Once Schizo had moved off of Fury's lap Kiba moved on, laying over her so that his head rested on her chest, hands folded under his chin. "You gotta stop taking crap from that guy, Fury. I know you've been getting stronger and all... but he could be less of a dick about it."

She lifted her head. "Yeah, I guess..." She mumbled, shrugging. "I mean, I'm used to it."

"And I'm saying you shouldn't get used to it, you should fight him back." Kiba gave her one of his trademark grins, fangs included. "Show him a little muscle, give him a few smacks, kinda like you give me when it's that time of the month."

She giggled, giving him a light hit over the head. "Well then I guess the spar tonight is my chance to get a few hits on him, _hai?"_ She let her head fall back again, relaxing. "But I need a little rest if I wanna be at my best."

Kiba picked his head up off her chest, crawling over her. "How 'bout a kiss for luck?" he asked, his doggish grin still in place.

She blushed lightly, smiling up at him. "Sure."

He leaned down to her, taking it easy at meeting her lips. He was soft there, breaking away from her and then resting his head to the side again to lightly kiss her neck.

"Oh, yeah, Kiba." She giggled, her face going all the more red. She loved his affection. "I got another letter from Kabuto today."

His relaxed posture over here went tense and she heard him growl. It made her almost smirk as he made it so the next kiss he gave her neck morphed into a hickey.

She enjoyed his jealousy... just a little.

* * *

Yeah, yeah, I know, not a lot with Loor, quite a bit with Fury. I was having fun, leave me alone. XP Plus I'm reiterating that Neji is a jerk.

Wonder what Loor's gonna do to him when she gets home. XDD

**No ownage.**

See you tomorrow punks.


	32. Hell Unleashed

**Markings- Middle Ground  
****Chapter Thirty Two- Hell Unleashed**

"Kankuro... you wanted to speak with me?"

Gaara had been home for just under thirty days. In those days... he'd made a lot of choices, but it would seem that one of those choices had utterly horrified his elder brother... to the point of bringing him out here.

Where Gaara stood was on a cliff not far from Sunakagure, the desert wind in his face, the sand and sky before him reflecting the blood red of the setting sun he stared into. He stood outside the village walls, exposed to this... without his gourd. In the wind country, which was all desert wasteland, there was no reason to carry a gourd of sand when sand was the very earth under one's feet.

Behind Gaara was his brother, Kankuro.

"Yeah." Kankuro confirmed.

"Well...?"

"I really don't want to say this but..." Kankuro paused. "You're no more than a weapon of mass terror to the village. For you to split off from us now and enter the regular troops... it'll only be harder on you."

Oh, so _this_ was the bone Kankuro wanted to pick.

"It's full of jonin who think poorly of you." Kankuro continued. "... and most of the villagers fear you, too..."

Gaara continued to stare at the setting sun, the sky growing darker by the passing moments. "... I don't care... doing nothing will bring even greater pain... I know what I must do, Kankuro. I must clear my own path."

Kankuro almost took a step back in shock.

Gaara didn't seem to notice. "Perhaps then... someday... I can be like _him..._ and I can find _her."_

Silence.

"I will aim for the title of Kazekage, as a shinobi of the sand." Gaara stated to his brother. "I will _connect _to the people of this village... and _survive." _

"...Gaara..." Was all his brother could say.

"I want to work hard... and become someone others acknowledge and respect... that's what I decided after watching Uzumaki Naruto... and knowing Loor. Until I met them, ties to others... only ever brought me pain and sorrow. But _she _would never let me hide in my old ways, and _he_ kept asking me, _pushing_ me... to re-define those ties. And now, finally, I think I'm beginning to understand why."

All the elder brother could do was stare on in shock. He knew what Loor and Naruto had tried to teach Gaara... but he had never, _ever_ expected it to sink in. Kankuro had never expected this change to happen.

"To share one's feelings with others isn't weakness..." Gaara muttered, more to himself now. "It's _strength._ That's what they taught me, even if Loor herself forgets the lesson from time to time. It doesn't matter... when she tried to help me, and when I fought with Naruto... we _connected._ They both know my pain, but never let it beat them. Those examples have shown me... I can change my life... my destiny."

The sun sank below the horizon.

"One day..." Gaara studied the colors of the sky and sand changing. "I'd like to become something precious to others again, like I was to Loor... not as some weapon of terror..."

Kankuro watched silently till Gaara turned his head slightly, the brothers finally making eye contact.

"... but as Kazekage."

Slowly, Kankuro smiled at his brother. "With that attitude, Gaara... You'll do it."

The younger brother nodded slightly, turning back out and watching the final hues fade from the Suna sky. "Go back to the village... I'll follow soon."

To be humorous Kankuro gave a fake bow. "Yessir Kazekage-sama!"

Gaara felt a smile twitch on his face. "Dismissed." He muttered, adding to the joke.

As soon as Kankuro was gone he felt himself frown. _Like I was to Loor._ Were those really his own words?

He hadn't let her go... he knew that. He could still feel it, that he hadn't let her go... not that he had even tried to do such a thing. No, he actually found himself going out of his way to think about her now and then, even reasoning with himself that there was a chance that they'd meet again...

His mind flashed on his last night with her. Thirty days behind him and yet he could almost remember what her lips tasted like.

_**You are **__**so**__** pathetic. **_

He ignored Shukaku's speculation. Instead he had to wonder what she'd say to his new dream, his new aspiration that was inspired by Naruto... wondered if she'd smile at him, wondered if she'd speak in that soft voice she used so seldomly.

He slowly turned to return to the village... _his_ village. Kankuro was already gone, out of sight, and the last of the sun's light was also gone. Still, Gaara knew the desert. It was impossible for him to get lost among the sea of sand.

Suna was also, like Konoha, between Kages. Gaara had only found out once he and his brother and sister arrived home, but their father, the Kazekage, was dead. No one wanted to step forward and try to take the lead, even less after they were declared war upon by Konoha and made to negotiate a surrender since it was a fight they didn't even start, Orochimaru having been pulling the strings on both sides. Now, on the record, they'd lost two wars in a row...

No one wanted to take the lead of that. The only blessing was that Konoha was quick to ally them again for the sake of maintaining some of the collective power between them. Both villages were in a state of crisis, not able to turn down missions from anyone for fear of alerting other countries, mainly enemy villages, of weakness.

Joining the regular troops meant that Gaara would be getting a lot of work for a while. He didn't mind it now. He'd prove himself to them as someone who cared about the village, not some puppet controlled by a demon.

He'd show them... and himself. He could change his life.

_Loor... if only you could see me now. You and Naruto should be proud... I would have never made it this far without you two. _

He left the wasteland behind, entering the village gates and walking the streets, going out of his way to learn his village, know names, faces, places, and understand what he now wanted to protect.

These people... they would become precious to him.

* * *

Fury sighed, walking alone, rubbing the three new marks on her neck. She also had claw marks on her stomach, but her purple kimono-like top covered that up. That was the first time she'd let Kiba read one of Kabuto's letters while she was in the same room, and she had to admit that just sitting in his lap during such an event made her quite the object of affection.

Not to say she was complaining. Kiba's affection, though he would take it too far once in a while and make it painful, was a very enjoyable thing.

She shook her head, storing said events back in her brain while focusing on where she was going. Not even Schizo was coming with her for this...

The sun was on its way down, and she was on her way to fight Neji.

She was pretty sure this was not was Dr. Sumeyo was talking about when she told Fury to take it easy... but she wasn't going to turn Neji down on anything.

The sun was gone by the time she made it to the clearing. When she entered it was empty, yet silent, as if the world around was just as tense as she was about what was about to happen.

She didn't trust the clearing being empty. He had to be somewhere in here...

She looked up with just her eyes, not moving her head. Sure enough he was up in the branches, watching her with those glowing white eyes.

Fury shifted her own jade orbs down to ground level again and turned her back on him. She was still tense, but she knew where he was. She was listening...

He moved.

She jumped back.

He landed right where she had been standing, but she didn't wait for him to turn to her. Since she had known he was going to jump down where she had been she was ready to strike him at once as well. She aimed a kick at his back, ducking down and rolling forward as he vanished using substitution, her foot connecting with a stick that had been picked up out of the woods. That would mean he was in the woods, probably behind her.

Her mind followed him as her body simply worked in accordance to where she calculated he was.

It felt pretty good when she was right, blocking him as he came charging out of the brush, crossing her arms in front of her chest in order to block a forward thrust of his palms that would have connected otherwise.

"So you _can _think." Neji was smirking at her. "But your sister passed that same test on awareness... she had heard me in the trees, could _feel_ where I had moved. Did you feel those things?"

His answer was in her flushed face.

"You need those senses too, Fury."

She glared at him, her arms uncrossing and grabbing his wrists in the same movement, pulling him forward while her knee went for his ribs. He muscled away from her though, jumping back and then back again in a back handspring, collecting on his hands and then launching up into the trees; feet first.

She growled at him, looking up. He had vanished... left the range of her eyes.

She smirked, reaching into her weapon's pouch and gripping four sinbons, one between each finger. Oh, she'd get him... it was just a matter of time. Her ears perked, listening for anything.

A rustle to the left!

She threw a needle, hearing it zip through the air and then sink into the wood of a tree. She'd missed.

"You should keep listening, even when you attack."

He'd gotten behind her again! She yelped, jumping forward and putting chakra to her feet without thinking, tacking to a tree and running up it a ways before adding chakra to her free hand and also putting it to the tree, looking back into the clearing to see that Neji had not bothered to move.

She bit her lip. "Playing with kid gloves?" She asked. She was sure he probably never held still like that during his and Loor's fight. No, not for the damage Loor had taken.

He _had_ nearly killed her.

"I don't see any reason to take them off." Neji said simply. "I haven't even felt the need to activate the byakugan."

Fury felt rage go through her. Loor played with kid gloves too but she never teased Fury about it! An angry twitch ran through her wrist, but she held it back, not jumping from the tree and instead running up higher, into the branches that Neji had gone into before.

Seconds later he joined her in that dark and tangled field.

She charged that time. She also missed, as he just dropped down as quickly as he came up, the fist she had aimed for his face missing and opening to grab a branch and stop herself.

She winced. The tug on her bad arm was not a welcome one.

She looked into the clearing again, seeing him back in the center. He was wide open, just standing there. He even had his back to her...

But he was a Hyuga. It didn't matter if he had his back to her, if she tossed anything he'd see it regardless. That was the thing about Hyuga eyes. No blind spots. She'd learned that so many times over it wasn't funny.

Still, he still had to turn around if he wanted to block anything.

She decided to take what she got, thinking about what the best throw would be. If she hit him at all she'd hit his front as he'd turn around to block her shots. She had to throw them with enough speed that trying to dodge wouldn't work for him...

She had to shock him in order to get close and hit him. Sinbons were small, unless she tried to kill him it was nearly impossible to make the little needles matter.

She'd aim right above his collar. If she hit and poked a hole in the base of his windpipe his body was likely to go into shock... and she'd be able to get in and score a few hits.

In perspective, the part of his back she had to throw at was the top.

She smirked, pleased with her plan. Her brain had gone through all of this in less than two seconds.

She lifted her hand, three sinbons left between her fingers.

She flicked her wrist, letting the next one in line go.

She was shocked when Neji didn't move. She almost yelled to him as the little weapon zipped through the air, but kept herself quiet as she watched as her sensei didn't move till the sinbon had hit him in the back. He actually grunted in pain, turning quickly and narrowing his eyes. His byakugan was activated now, searching for her, surprised etched onto his face.

His white eyes found her, glaring. "How the hell did you find it??"

"Find what?" She yelped back. "I expected you to block!"

"I would have... if..." He trailed, reaching back and pulling the sinbon out of his back. Had she been just a little lower the needle could have penetrated his spine and caused some very big problems. "I'm not going to tell you if you didn't know about it."

She growled. She hated it when people did that. "Sensei!" She growled, jumping down and charging him. His eyes, swelled thanks to the byakugan, saw her coming and he was quick to block. She didn't stop at the initial charge though. She stepped around him, her already impressive speed at work, hands lashing out faster than most eyes could see. Hyuga eyes could, but only barely. "Tell me!"

He moved just as fast as her, moving out of the way as well, unable to break out of the bout without risking taking a blow, nor attack without the same risk. He started to grit his teeth...

There was no way to succeed in his goal with this going on.

"No!" He snapped at her, taking one of her fists to his chest as he grabbed her other wrist. At once she tried to muscle away like he had before, but she didn't have the muscle to do such. In seconds he had captured her other wrist and pushed her back into one of the trees around them. "That, Fury, is a Hyuga secret."

Fury was pulling, not only growing angry but scared. Neji was getting pissed with the fight, which was something you didn't see often. Neji pissed... about anything.

She felt fire going through her, chakra, as she tried to power out of his grip, lifting her legs to try and kick him. He prevented her though, turning and throwing her to the ground. She rolled, coughing as the wind go knocked out of her.

Fire. More fire. Fire from her shoulder, powering through her.

She looked up at him, standing up. "Secret...?" she questioned, panting a little. She dropped her other two sinbons to the grass. Her mind was already understanding it. "I can understand why... all the Hyugas have that, don't they?"

His eyes grew wide. She'd figured it out.

"A blind spot at the top of your back."

He bent back into a fighting stance. "I believe the kid gloves are off now, Fury."

She was grinning in a strange manner. Neji felt adrenaline...

"You bet they are... Neji."

He could feel it, see it. He'd gotten what he wanted. He had challenged Fury to this fight for the same reason he had challenged Loor to a spar about a month ago... because had noticed a strange mark on her shoulder. But where in Loor's fight he had failed to get her to activate it... Fury had fallen all too easily.

Burning power exploded as the mark on her shoulder exploded out into black marks all over her skin. She didn't wait for the marks to stop, her speed almost impossible. She had to be faster than Lee.

She was faster than him.

He pulled a quick spin, exerting chakra from his skin to throw her away from him in a move he called rotation. It tossed her away at the last second but she recovered and came back at him almost too quickly.

He hadn't realized it but she had sinbons in her hands again, all four of which she threw, two of which hit him as she came in range to strike with her hands.

He thrust forward, realizing that somewhere in that mark on her shoulder activating she had forgotten this was a spar.

She was aiming to kill. Those sinbon had been thrown meaning to hit vital organs, but thankfully had missed their marks.

She grabbed his thrust forward hands, throwing them out of the way and digging a fist into his side, gathering under it and throwing her body upwards. He felt her knuckles under his ribs and his feet lifting off of the ground. Where did she get all this strength?? Surely that mark couldn't do so much to a person?

He didn't have time to calculate or think, simply throw his weight correctly to land on his feet after Fury hit him, kicking off the ground and feeding his chakra to his fingertips.

"You're in my range!" He proclaimed, getting to her, his palms connecting with her shoulders. He had to throw off her chakra network now, hopefully he would cut off her curse at the same time. He had to fight her like he was going to kill her!

His byakugan let him see her chakra points, all of them, each pulsing with both her normal blue chakra... and then this poisonous red-purple chakra.

She cried out as he struck quickly. Thirty-two strikes. Sixty-four. One hundred twenty eight.

She nearly fell when he stopped, panting. He was surprised she was still standing.

He was shocked when one of her jade eyes snapped up to glare at him. "You think you can stop me like that?"

His eyes could see it... that toxic chakra still struggling through the points he had struck, still going through parts of her he supposedly disabled.

What was this curse on her shoulder?!

She bellowed, striking while he was still in shock. She had punched him in the stomach, hard, before rounding and slamming her foot into the side of his head.

So much power... he saw stars, falling and then getting up off the ground. He could keep going... but obviously, so could she. She wanted to keep going. Her curse drove her to keep going.

This side effect of her curse.. this rage. Surly whoever had given it to her had not intended these effects?

But who had given it to her?

"Had enough?!" She snapped at him.

He was sure of it. If he chose to go on with this, she was sure to try and kill him.

But he couldn't say she won. No, his pride would never allow him to do that.

Thankfully, her curse made it so he didn't have to. Just as he was about to open his mouth, bark out some insult to instigate more fighting, the marks on her skin began to pull back. At the same time, her feet went weak under her.

As her adversary he was grinning as she fell. As her sensei, he rushed forward to catch her before she planted face first in the dirt.

He looked at her face. She'd passed out. Still, as the mark deactivated the poison chakra dissipated and vanished from her system. He could still see it…

He realized he had cut off some of her vitals. The points he had struck surrounded her lungs, her heart, and disabled them completely. Thinking quickly he switched gears. He couldn't have a student die, not from a spar. He used the other side of the byakugan, the ability to over power chakra points instead of disable them. The first ones he went at were the four around her heart, the twelve around each lung, giving a sigh as she gasped for breath on her own. He didn't actually want to give her CPR over this. In moments he had over powered every chakra point he had turned off. It was not stable… but she was alive.

Slowly, he pushed to his feet and picked her up again. It was a pain. She needed a hospital, and so did he.

But Neji had to wonder now... what would have happened with his and Loor's fight if he had managed to free her curse? She had been plenty strong at the time, almost strong enough to defeat him. If these strange curses that both girls had turned up with added that much power, that much speed, to both of them...

If he had seen what he wanted to see when he fought Loor he was sure she would have won that fight.

He growled slightly as he felt pain shooting out from where the sinbon had hit his back. Finding the blind spot… on pure luck.

He started walking to the shinobi complexes to first alert Kiba where he was taking Fury, and then he'd go to the hospital.

* * *

"What the hell are you doing here?"

"Tsunade... how is that a way to greet an old team mate?"

"... I'm pretty sure you didn't track me down to chat about old times, Orochimaru."

"Alas, you're right... I have something I want you to look at."

"... from the looks of you I'd say you have a fever, and regardless of feeling weak you've been walking a lot more than you should be... but I got out of the medical business a long time ago. Why don't you just take it to a doctor?"

"You could say the nature of this is not quite normal, Tsunade. My arms are... wounded. Kabuto, the bandage."

"... that's a powerful seal... you got this fighting someone. What happened?"

"Well... You know I don't like to lie, Tsunade, so I guess I'll be honest. Sarutobi did it to me right before I killed him."

"..."

"Oh yes, while I was trying to destroy the leaf village."

"... and you expect me to heal you? I'd rather let you die from your arms being dead moldy growths on your body. Go to hell and take your ambition with you."

"I didn't say I expected you to do it for free, Tsunade."

"I don't care. You couldn't have anything I want. Now I'm going to give you to the count of five before I send you and your little man servant to hell personally."

"..."

"One."

"..."

"Two."

"..."

"Three."

"..."

"_Four." _

"..."

"Fiv--"

"I can give you back your little brother and your man."

"...wah?"

"I thought that would get your attention. Yes. Nawaki and Dan. I know you'd love to see them again, Tsunade. I could arrange that for you with a forbidden jutsu I've developed, but with these dead arms I can't perform it. You fix my arms, I bring them back, and I'll never bother you again."

"Nawaki... Dan..."

"Well... you haven't killed us yet, so I assume you're thinking it over."

"If I heal your arms... what are you going to do?"

"Well... go back and destroy Konoha, of course. This time, I'll make sure there are no screw ups."

"..."

"Of course I don't expect you to decide now, Tsunade. I would like an answer in a week. You will meet us here, at this time, in seven days with your answer. I expect it to be a favorable one. Oh yes... I will need two living people to make the jutsu work. Be ready to make the trade."

"Get the hell out of here."

"Think it over, Tsunade."

"..."

"Tsunade-Sama, you couldn't be considering this, could you?"

"Shut up Shizune."

"Tsunade, they're dead! What would be the point of bringing them back??"

"Shut up Shizune!!"

"Ye... Yes Tsunade-Sama."

* * *

NOTE: The scene with Gaara and Kankuro was transcribed out of volume 28 of Naruto, which is the first volume of the Shippuden. That scene was a flashback Kankuro had, but of course I messed it a bit to fit the story.

Of course. Still, they never tell you exactly when that scene happens, so I simply picked a spot where I felt it worked.

Oh yeah… anyone else notice that Loor isn't in this chapter at all? Tell my co-author. She'll wet herself in joy.

**I don't own it.**

Reviews make the muses happy.


	33. Tsunade

**Markings- Middle Ground  
****Chapter Thirty Three- Tsunade**

"C'mon Jiraiya, we've been looking all day and haven't found her anywhere! We can start again tomorrow, but I'm hungry!"

Jiraiya rolled his eyes as Naruto. Since entering Tanzaku town both kids had given up on their attempts of the third step of training to help him look for Tsunade, and though Naruto was loud as ever Loor had become very quiet and clung to the back of Naruto's coat. Jiraiya was pretty sure if cities didn't mortify her she'd be complaining too but she was a little too busy flinching every time something made a loud noise.

Still... Naruto had a point. Jiraiya could agree that food was becoming a priority. He started looking left and right as they passed various establishments, looking for a place where he could enjoy a drink on the side of his meal.

He spotted a bar near the end of the lane.

"There." He pointed. "C'mon."

Loor didn't argue, letting go of Naruto and running ahead to stand in the doorway of the place.

"A bar?" Naruto questioned. "Pervy-Sage, I'm not even old enough to drink!"

"So?" Jiraiya snorted. "You can still eat the appetizers. Now stop complaining before Loor loses her mind."

"Too late!" Loor yelped, the first words she had said since they entered Tanzaku city. The place was even bigger than the last city they had been in, and all the more crammed! Even at this time, far after sundown, streets were full of people, vendors, and some other characters that looked much more shady.

It didn't help with what else they had seen that day. When they arrived Jiraiya wanted to go to a high vantage point to help him look for Tsunade, so they decided to go to a historical castle that was supposed to be in the city. What did they find? Ruins. And not old ruins, according to the locals the castle had been standing not even an hour before they got there, but also according to the locals a giant snake had come out of nowhere and crushed the castle.

Giant snakes didn't bode well with Loor. Giant snakes made her think of one person that she would _never_ want to see in a crammed city street.

Orochimaru was the last person she needed knowing that she was urbophobic.

But she had to wonder why Orochimaru was here. Supposedly, last she heard, that so-an-so was weakened after failing to invade Konoha.

She stopped thinking as Naruto finally agreed to come in the bar, both boys giving her a gentle push into the building and away from the city street.

Now then... Loor was expecting something she would see at home; a smoky place with a bar and bar stools and maybe some guys playing pool. What she saw was way different. There was no bar, no bar stools, and all the places to sit were booths with dividers between them so a person at one table couldn't see anyone at other tables. She did smell tobacco smoke, but that was all.

Jiraiya, the tallest of them, could see over the dividers and was looking for an empty table... but seemed to notice something about one of the booths all the way in the back. "Well, well, well... Looks like we got lucky."

Loor and Naruto looked at each other. "Eh?"

Jiraiya didn't bother to explain, leading the two kids down to the booth he had spied.

When he made it to the booth he bent his head around the divider and grinned. "Tsunade! Long time no see!"

Both Loor and Naruto rushed up. Tsunade? Here? What were the odds? Both joined Jiraiya in looking into the booth and saw two people sitting there.

One was a blond lady who looked to be about twenty. She was built like an ox, strong for sure, with bigger breasts than most female porn stars. She had serious brown eyes, which had, for the time being, focused upon Jiraiya in shock. Her lips had been painted red, light eyeshadow on her face, and a diamond of purple in the middle of her forehead. She wore a gray kimono top that was sleeveless and trimmed in green and a green coat shrugged around her shoulders.

"Jiraiya...?" The blond lady said. "What in the world...?"

Loor had to assume the blond gal with the knockers was Tsunade. Once she filed that away she looked at the other lady at the table. She was a black haired woman of a slimmer (and less busty) build. Her eyes were dark brown, but they were not nearly as intense as Tsunade's. She wore a black full sleeved robe that was trimmed in white. Oddly enough, this woman also had an animal with her.

Held in the black haired woman's arms was a small pig which was outfitted with a green coat like the strange sweaters you could buy for cats... only the pig didn't seem to have a problem with the coat. It also had a collar around its neck, a leash attached to it that the black haired woman had looped around her wrist.

"... A pet pig?" Loor blurted.

Tsunade's brown eyes drifted to Naruto and Loor. "Who the hell are those two, Jiraiya?" She asked. There was a bottle on the table of saki, and Loor was sure the good lady Tsunade had taken down half of it by now.

"First things first, can we sit here?" Jiraiya asked. "We've been walkin' all day."

The black haired woman spoke. "Please, Lord Jiraiya. You're quite welcome."

Tsunade glared at the woman beside her. "Shizune..."

"Thank you." Jiraiya said before Tsunade could lose her temper. He scooted into the booth, both Naruto and Loor squishing in despite the seat being made for only two people.

Loor was still staring at the pig. "A pet pig." she repeated.

Shizune, if that was indeed her name, nodded. "Yes. His name is TonTon."

The pig seemed to oink a hello.

Loor twitched twice, shaking her head and sighing. She _was _a butcher's daughter. According to her pigs were food, not pets.

"Jiraiya..." Tsunade said, leaning back in her seat. "Why are you here?"

"I can't just talk about the old days with an old friend?" He asked, leaning on the table.

"You had to have come from Konoha at the very least." She glared at him. "That's quite a long way to come just to reminisce... so cut the crap and tell me what you want."

Jiraiya sighed, shaking his head. "Alright... I don't know if you know this, but there was a recent attack on Konohagure. Sarutobi sensei, the Hokage, was killed."

"I know."

Surprise came from Loor, Naruto, and Jiraiya. "How?" Jiraiya asked. "The village has been keeping it real hushed up, hasn't really told any of the rest of the country."

"I saw Orochimaru today." Tsunade said casually. "He told me."

...

"What?!" Loor snapped. "He's here?"

Tsunade looked over at Loor. "What's it to you, kid? That guy is the type to give little girls like you nightmares with a smile. I'm surprised you even know his name."

"I know more than his name!" Loor growled, nearly standing up at the 'little girls' comment. Jiraiya grabbed her by the pants though, yanking her back into her spot.

"Loor, take it easy." He quipped, looking back at his old team mate. "What did _he_ want?"

"Just to talk." Tsunade shrugged. "Show me his new wound on his way back to his own country. Gotta tell you, Sarutobi did know how to mess a person up. Orochimaru is a walking dead man at this rate." She reached for the bottle on the table, poring it into a little shot glass and then taking the shot. As she spoke next she reached into her coat and pulled out a deck of cards, shuffling it. "Now tell me what you wanted."

Jiraiya looked conflicted about going on with what he wanted to say, wanting to chase the subject of Orochimaru down. Still, there was little point in such a thing. He had to say what he had come to say.

"The village is currently without a leader." He finally said as Tsunade put the cards on the table. She drew a hand of five, five draw poker Loor realized. Jiraiya drew five cards as well. "If we're to maintain any of our power we need a new leader fast... and the council has picked you for the job." He locked his eyes upon her over his cards, nearly black orbs that focused on her. "They want you to become the Fifth Hokage."

Loor knew this. Loor had known from Kakashi that finding Tsunade to offer her the job as Hokage was the whole point of this trip.

Naruto, on the other hand, was uninformed. At the time he had been munching off a plate of small fish that Shizune had been sharing with him, and when those words left Jiraiya's mouth he started choking.

No one seemed to notice besides TonTon.

It took several seconds before Naruto managed to clear his throat, but everyone had been focused on Jiraiya and Tsunade's game. The silence was intense, eyes stuck on them as Jiraiya discarded three cards from his hand and picked up three more.

"Not possible." Tsunade finally said. "I refuse."

She discarded her hand, picking up five new cards.

Jiraiya smirked, shaking his head. "I've heard that line before, but it was a long time ago. It's what you said some thirty five years ago when I asked you out."

Both Naruto and Loor looked at each other in slight shock, remembering that despite Tsunade's young appearance she was actually as old as Jiraiya, about fifty years old.

But Loor saw more than shock behind Naruto's eyes... she saw rage. He was angry. Hokage was something he aimed for, something he wanted, and something he'd have probably, somewhere down the line.

Naruto nearly jumped onto the table as he had an outburst.

"Are you crazy, Lady?! What kind of a person turns down that offer! You don't even deserve it, you hag! You hide your appearance, you drink, and Jiraiya says you've got a gambling problem to boot!"

Tsunade looked up at Naruto with a gaze that could cut stone. "What do you care, you shrimp? The title Hokage is crap. Only and idiot becomes one."

Tsunade looked at her hand of cards, seeming unhappy about what she saw.

Both Loor and Naruto twitched at this. The title Hokage was crap? Only idiots became Hokage?

The two blond teens actually _did_ jump up onto the table, intention to attack the woman. Jiraiya abandoned his hand of cards to stop them.

"Jiraiya, she can't say that!" Loor snapped.

"Yeah! I could take her, easy!! An old hag like that doesn't even deserve to be called a shinobi!!" Naruto snarled.

Shizune whimpered, sinking down into her spot as Tsunade suddenly stood up too, putting her foot on the table and getting in Naruto's face. "Oh _really,_ you think so shorty? How about we take this outside?"

"Tsunade-Sama!" Shizune protested, TonTon squealing and wiggling in the black haired woman's arms.

"It'll be my pleasure, Grandma! Believe it!" Naruto returned, grinning at her.

Loor pulled back. This was Naruto's fight. He was the one who wanted to become Hokage. It was his job to defend the title's honor.

It didn't take long to get outside. Strangely enough this particular street was empty as they went out. Shizune had let TonTon to the ground, holding the pig on the leash, Tsunade and Naruto squared off on either end of the lane, Jiraiya and Loor on the other side.

Jiraiya was sure Naruto was in way over his head, but Loor was confident that her Nii-san could take this bitchy woman.

Tsunade was smirking at Naruto. She held up her hand, holding up her pointer finger. "One finger." She said.

Loor noticed that Jiraiya tensed, wincing. She wanted to ask what was wrong with holding up a finger, but watched assuming that she'd find out.

"One finger." She repeated. "That'll do against you."

Naruto was growling, still steamed up and ready to go against her. He didn't wait for anyone to say go, running at her and drawing a kunai out of his weapons pouch, yelling as he ran at her.

Tsunade smirked, dashing forward and, with a great amount of ease that made it look as if she was going up against an infant, flicked him in the head.

That one flick. That one finger flick.

Loor nearly fell over from what she saw.

Naruto flew down the street, landing on his rear and sliding more after that, his headband flying off, the kunai falling out of his hand, rolling and finally coming to a stop several yards away.

With just one finger.

She looked in shock at Tsunade. The woman was still smirking, standing straight and putting her hands on her large hips. "How do you like that?" She sneered.

Jiraiya whimpered. "I remember when she did that to me..."

Naruto was struggling back to his feet when Tsunade started walking towards him. "Just one question kid..." She started. "Why do you care about the name Hokage so much?"

"Why...?" Naruto was rubbing his head, looking up at Tsunade with enough intensity in his gaze to make her stop approaching him. "Because I want it. I'm Naruto Uzumaki of the village hidden in the leaves... and I'm going to be Lord Hokage, believe it!!"

Loor felt her respect for Naruto grow. He never went back on his word. Ever. If he said he was going to do it, he was going to do it if it killed him. She smiled.

Tsunade seemed gripped by surprise. No, not just surprise, but sadness as well. A frown creased her fake face, her eyes falling to the ground.

Naruto saw it as an opening. Without a second thought he drew his hand back.

Loor gasped as she saw him gather energy in his hand, paths of air showing up, clashing, turning, and becoming a small typhoon in his hand. He was going to try to use the move they were learning before perfecting it!!

Tsunade seemed to be shocked out of her stasis when she saw Naruto running at her with that thing turning in his palm. With shock she moved quickly, turning to the ground and slamming her fist into the road.

With the same power that made Naruto fly, the earth under their feet cracked and threw Naruto's feet out from under him, the energy that had been in his hand vanishing into the air.

"Jiraiya, how dare you." Tsunade turned to face her old team mate, not caring for her fallen opponent. "You've been teaching him the rasengan, haven't you?"

Shizune and Loor had rushed over to Naruto to help him out of the cracked earth, making sure he was okay.

"So?" Jiraiya shrugged. "I've been teaching both Naruto and Loor. They've come this far in just a month."

"Only you and the late Forth Hokage are able to perform a perfect rasengan, Jiraiya." Tsunade snorted. "You shouldn't go giving kids dreams they'll never reach."

"Never reach?" Naruto yelped as he finally made it back to his feet. "I could perfect it in three days, easy!"

"Just like you could beat me, easy, right?" Tsunade shook her head at him. "Drop it kid."

"No way!! I _bet_ you I can get it in three days!"

Tsunade paused, seeming to think, and then grinned. "Alright, kid. I'll give you a week. Master it in one week and I'll acknowledge that you can become Hokage, and..." She reached into her shirt, pulling out a necklace that was around her neck. It was a crystal on a thin silver chain. "I'll throw in my necklace too. You lose, I'll take all the money you got. And if that isn't much I'll get Jiraiya to pay me."

Naruto grinned. "You got it lady! Though you can keep your necklace. I don't want that."

Jiraiya twitched. "Naruto, that necklace is made of a rare crystal! You could probably buy three mountains with it and still have money left over... not to mention it belonged to the First Hokage, Tsunade's grandfather."

"Really??" Naruto jumped. "Then you're on, Grandma! I'll master this move and show you!"

Tsunade snickered, shaking her head and turning to walk. "Shizune, c'mon. We're leaving."

"Yes ma'am!" Shizune got up quickly, tugging on TonTon's leash.

Loor left Naruto's side for a moment, going to grab his headband and his kunai and return it to him. Naruto quickly tied his headband back on and put his weapon away, rubbing the slight dent in the steel plate of his headband. "Geez that old Grandma packs a punch..."

"Let's go, guys." Jiraiya sighed. "I think it's time to go find a hotel."

"Excellent idea." Loor agreed, nodding.

"Right." Naruto was grinning now. "Tomorrow I'll really hit training hard! I'll have this move down in no time!"

"Get your rest first, Naruto." Loor giggled. "We don't want you to have rings around your eyes from not getting enough sleep."

"Good point." He nodded, following at Jiraiya led the way. "I'd look like Gaara!"

Loor's face fell. "Uh... yeah."

Naruto suddenly felt like kicking himself. Gaara's name had been taboo since the sand sibs left the scene.

Loor took hold on Naruto's coat again, following them as she got lost in her mind.

She still hadn't let go of him. Not even close. She'd had countless arguments with herself on how she had to let go of him, but just didn't _want_ to let go. No, she wanted to find him and never leave him again, but that just wasn't meant to be.

She just wondered how he was doing... if he had gotten any better. She wanted to see how he was doing...

She wanted to be affectionate to him. She missed how much he liked her hand just brushing over his face or hair, how warm he was when she hugged him, and the beast that kissing seemed to bring out of him.

Her body shivered at her memories and thoughts, in a good way.

_Move on, Loor._ She told herself. _Move on. This is your last adventure here. You're going to go home. You're never going to see him again._

_**That's not set in stone. You could choose to stay. Remember what Lee said, if you became a shinobi you could travel to other villages, anywhere you wanted. You could go to his village, you could find him.**_

_To what point? He has to have moved on by now! It's been a month, more than enough time for him to let go and move on!_

_**You think he's having any less trouble than you?! You think he **__**can**__** let go just like that? **_

_You've been arguing with me a lot more lately._

_**So? **_

_Why can't you agree with me once in a while?_

_**Cause I don't like the way you think. Obviously.**_

Loor came out of her own head, blinking. Was Lyra just sarcastic?

Weird. Since the night Shukaku tried to give life to Lyra Loor had found herself talking to the mania more and more, and though Loor was sure she was being paranoid, the figment in her mind did seem to have a little more personality.

That was just straight up creepy.

She didn't need to be a _biju _as well. She really didn't need to be.

* * *

Keh heh heh... I'm tempted to skip the next week in Naruto time because I'm impaitaint for Loor and Orochimaru to meet again, but I think I'm a little more professional than that. XP

**No ownage, just fanage.**

Reviews will not keep me from killing people... but they might help. XP Just don't give me chocolate. I've already discovered it causes me to write murder scenes.


	34. Cursed Crystal

**Markings- Middle Ground  
****Chapter Thirty Four- Cursed Crystal**

"Naruto, I'm going back out."

Naruto looked up at Loor in shock. "What? Why? We just checked in... it's the middle of the night."

Loor was already standing at the door of the hotel room, shaking her head. She had her shoes on too, taking the extra key Jiraiya hadn't when he left. "I just... feel the need to go take a walk. No big deal."

"Plenty big deal, Loor!" Naruto, who had just pulled his nightclothes out of his pack and folded them on the end of one of the two beds in the room, walked towards her as if he intended to stop her from leaving. "We're in the middle of a city that you don't know, its the middle of the night, and as much as I know you can kick almost anything I can bet there's someone out there that can kick you, believe it!"

Loor, who hadn't removed Ryu from her back all day long, suddenly pulled out the weapon and held it out, one of the tips in range to strike Naruto. "You did not just say that there is a reason to worry about me, did you _Nii-san?_" She asked with a smirk on her face. She meant it in humor.

Naruto stopped and backed out of Ryu's striking zone. "What if you get lost?"

She pulled the weapon back, putting it away. "If I'm not back in three hours... come find me. I know you and your clones can."

He picked up something in her voice. She was intense. Determined.

She has a mission in her mind.

"Why are you going out there?"

"There's something up with that Tsunade person... and she thinks she's going to keep it all to herself. I think not."

"How are you going to find her?" He questioned.

She shrugged. "Tsunade makes me think of what I might be like in about thirty seven years... and she looked like she had a lot to think about. If I had a lot to think about I'd get to the city outskirts and find a high place where no one would think to find me. I'll follow my own intuition and see where it takes me."

He snorted. "Loor, if you turn into _that _in thirty seven years I'll banish you from the village till you become less of a bitchy hag."

She chuckled, shaking her head. "How are you gonna banish me from the village, buddy boy?"

"Cause I'm sure to be Hokage by then, believe it!"

She rolled her eyes. "_Syonara _Naruto."

"_Syonara _Loor."

Naruto watched her leave, sighing and returning to emptying his pack. When they had come in Loor had dumped her pack on the bed, not bothering to sift through her stuff. And what point was there to that? All she had was that big blanket, the green suit Gai-sensei had given her, and an extra set of underwear.

Naruto, for his own sake, went out of his way to pick up her underwear and put it back in her pack. He didn't need to see that.

While putting it away something rolled off of the pile and onto the bedspread.

"Oi?" He questioned, his blue eyes locking onto it.

Among Loor's things was a small glass vial of sand. Naruto could feel something about it too... this wasn't natural stuff. It was chakra laced, almost smelling of blood and murderous intent.

This was Shukaku's sand.

He grabbed the vial, looking at it with squinted eyes. "Hmm...? Why does Loor have this?"

He suddenly smirked. "Oh! It was a gift from Gaara! Keh... bet they're planning to keep the relationship going, _hai?_ Strange gift to give though... on the other hand, Gaara's a strange guy."

Naruto lifted his head and dropped the vial when he heard a knock on the door. "Hm? She get scared and come back already?"

The knock came again, almost panicked and insistent.

"Hold on, _Imoto-chan! _I thought you had more spine than that!" He teased, walking over to the door and opening it.

"Eh, Shizune?"

Shizune it was. The black haired woman looked absolutely terrified, her dark brown eyes wide, clutching the pig TonTon to her chest. "You can't accept that necklace!"

Naruto cocked his head to the side. "Hm...? Why not?"

She glanced left and right, sighing. "I'm sorry to trouble at this late hour, but may I come in to talk to you?"

He sighed, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, sure, but make it quick." He said, moving out of the way. Shizune came in, not taking off her shoes and shutting the door with her back. "Now why shouldn't I take the necklace?"

Shizune frowned, looking at the floor for a second. She seemed conflicted on whatever she meant to say next. "You must forgive Tsunade for her behavior tonight. She's been in a state of confusion since he left the village... she hardly knows where she is half of the time, and lashes out at almost every turn!"

Naruto shrugged. "Yeah, so? What does this have to do with the necklace?"

"You'll die if you get it."

Shock went through him. "Eh? Why?"

"It's cursed."

* * *

Tsunade sighed, finally alone at the outskirts of Tanzaku, perched on the decorative 'roost' arch that stood over the main road in. She was okay with the city scene but she would rather the laid back energy of Konoha, even if she hadn't seen it for at least ten or fifteen years.

It didn't matter. Everything was the same these days. Everything. Gamboling, drinking, loans, being on the run... it was all the same.

But Orochimaru's offer ran through her head. Over and over it ran through her head.

_'I can give you back your little brother and your man.'_

"Nawaki..." She muttered to herself. "Dan."

She gripped the bottle in her hand, lifting it to her painted lips. She'd be out in moments if she kept drinking it was fast as she was.

_'I will need two living people to make the jutsu work. Be ready to make the trade.'_

She snorted at herself. How dare she think that she could use the kids as sacrifices, or Jiraiya. They had popped up at just the opportune time, but she couldn't turn a comrade over to another comrade to kill.

But the kids... No, Jiraiya would talk after the matter. If she decided to use any two of them the third would have to be disposed of to keep anyone from running back to any authorities.

God, was she actually considering this?! How sick was she?

"Geez, _that's_ a walk I never want to take again."

Tsunade snapped out of her stupor, looking around. That voice...

Below her. She looked down, her brown eyes narrowing.

That girl from before. The one that had been with Jiraiya. The tawny haired youth seemed rather smug to have found her, looking up from the ground with her hands on her hips.

"What do you want, kid? I'm a little busy."

"Nursing the bottle? I can see that." The kid below chuckled, walking over to the side of the arch and using chakra focus to walk up the side.

Tsunade was surprised. The kid didn't have a headband. She certainly looked like she could have been a shinobi, but no headband.

She considered to herself that she shouldn't judge. She hadn't worn her headband for years since she had retired, but she was still just as powerful. The headband didn't make a shinobi, the skills did.

Speaking of, the kid had made it to the flat top of the arch, still looking smug, her electrical blue eyes glowing in the dark.

"You found me." Tsunade growled, crossing her legs and looking at the kid. "Now whaddya want?"

"To play cards." The kid answered, walking carefully with one foot in front of the other. The arch was only about two people wide, so she was smart to focus on balance. "You have a deck, don't you? I wanted to make a bet."

Tsunade smirked. At the moment, she was willing to play games of luck. If the game with Jiraiya was any sign she could probably win her weight in gold within the next week. "You know how to play five-draw poker?"

"My brother taught me about a year ago. I'm guessing I could remember the scoring system."

The girl had stopped about two feet away, sitting down and crossing her legs like Tsunade had.

Tsunade noted the shinobi made weapon on her back.

"In training?" She questioned while pulling out her deck, putting her saki bottle down for a moment to shuffle with both hands.

"Yeah." The girl answered, nodding, brushing her long tawny hair back, and shrugging her green coat higher on her shoulders over the sports bra she was wearing.

Tsunade put the deck down for the girl to cut. "You look a bit old to be in the academy."

"I'm not." She answered, cutting the deck and then lifting her hands over her head to stretch. "You could call me a special case... but I'm not going to become a genin."

"Then why are you training?" Tsunade questioned, picking up five cards. "Little point to shinobi training if you're not aiming for it."

"I have other marks to aim for." She took her cards, looking them over.

"So what's your wager, kid?" Tsunade asked, looking her own cards over. She had a pair of kings, not half bad, plus an eight, two, and six. She'd keep the pair and drop the numbers in hopes of getting the other two kings for four of a kind, or maybe an ace for a high card.

"I want to know the story behind that necklace of yours. Not many people are willing to play with something that valuable when they've got a name like The Legendary Fool following them around." The kid used the cards to mask her face, her eyes peaking over the tops, looking like an animal on the prowl. "I win, you tell me everything there is to know about that necklace."

Tsunade frowned, looking like she had half a mind to refuse. "What's your name, kid?"

"Loor."

"Well, Loor, those are some ugly stakes you set. What do I get if I win?"

"What do you want?" Loor kept her voice even. If she had a bad poker face she was hiding it with the cards, but her eyes were far too intent for Tsunade to think she was hiding a victorious smile. "Mind you I have no money, nothing valuable."

Tsunade thought for several seconds, and then got what she wanted to know. The kid had an awful explosive reaction to Orochimaru's name before... "I wanna know your beef with my old team mate, Orochimaru. He's pissed a lot of people off... but you seem to hate him a bit much for anything done random in passing... and last I checked Jaaku didn't go out of his way to piss pre-teens off."

"I'm thirteen." Loor corrected. Then, her eyes narrowed. "Wait a second... did you say Jaaku?"

Tsunade nodded. "Yeah. It was an old childhood nickname me and Jiraiya gave him back when we were on a three man squad togeth--"

"Damn it!" Loor cursed, slamming her fist on the wood of the arch. Tsunade steadied her saki bottle. "Bastard was there the whole time..."

"Eh...?" Tsunade asked.

Loor looked up, having uncovered her face. "Oh, sorry." She set back into being serious. "So, are the stakes good?"

"That they are." Tsunade confirmed, grabbing her three cards and discarding them, picking up three new ones. "So, what are you doing with Jiraiya. Naruto obviously came to train..."

"I came to train too." Loor sighed, shaking her head and also discarding three cards. "This is my last adventure... before I go home." She drew her next three.

Tsunade looked at her hand. She still had her pair of kings and now a high card ace to add to it along with a pair of twos. Not what she wanted, but nothing to argue with.

"Two pair and high card." Loor said, putting her hand down.

Tsunade glanced at her. "How did you know what I--" She paused, looking at Loor's hand.

Pair king, pair twos, and an ace.

What the hell were the odds on that one?

"Know what?" Loor was obviously clueless.

Tsunade put her hand down. "Two pair and high card."

"Well..." Loor shrugged, not seeming too disturbed by it. "Guess it's a draw, so I guess we'll both have to share."

Tsunade nodded, gathering up her deck of cards. "You go first."

Loor chuckled. "What, when I could tell my part and then you could take off into the night?" She snorted. "Try again! You're a Sannin and Loor knows it. If I tried to run you could catch me, easy. So by comparison of abilities; _you_ go first."

The older blond winced. The kid was sharp.

"So that necklace... it belonged to the first Hokage." Loor pushed Tsunade to start.

"Yeah... my grandfather." Tsunade put the cards away, picking up her bottle again and taking a swig before setting it down and taking the necklace off, holding it out for Loor to examine. She didn't mind the girl taking it from her hand to look at it. Like Loor had said herself... she couldn't run with it.

Plus Loor didn't look to be a creature to care about money.

"He'd given it to me when I was little... told me to protect people like he did. I never wore it much, but I kept it. Thing was... I had this little brother." Tsunade looked at the necklace with some form of hate. "Nawaki. He had wanted it for a long time, and on his twelfth birthday I decided to give it to him. You see... he wanted to be Hokage."

Loor winced. She started to see where this was going.

"This was during a major war time though. Nawaki was a genin, just graduated too. During war, they put _all_ shinobi in battle, but the kids are expected to _run_ from the front lines. Nawaki didn't believe in that. He wanted to protect his village..." Tsunade took another drink, downing the rest of her saki. Loor assumed she could only tell this story while drunk these days. The older woman's face had begun to flush. "The day I gave him that necklace, I... I told him to take off his headband. Said I'd give him a charm, to help him make his dreams come true."

"Wha'd ya give him?" Loor asked, trying not to press.

"A kiss. I kissed him on the forehead. The... the next day..." Tsunade shook her head, seeming disoriented. Loor scooted to her to hold her steady, lest she fall off of the structure they were perched upon. It was a fair ways down. "The next day, Nawaki went into battle, as did I. When we came back... when _I_ came back... Orochimaru had to remove the necklace from him for me, I couldn't bear to look at the body."

_Ouch._

"After that I... I thought about it. Next meeting, I said to the third Hokage, I said to Sarutobi sensei, the third Hokage, squads should have a medic nin with them in the field so things like that didn't happen, but he said that... they didn't have the time to train enough for each squad. He wouldn't even try." Her painted lips twisted into a bittersweet smile. "But... someone did agree with me. His name was Dan. He had Nawaki's dream..."

"He wanted to be Hokage." Loor shook her head. "And you gave the necklace to him, and your 'charm?' To see if it would lead him to his dream?"

Tsunade nodded. "And I was in the field with him." She lifted her saki bottle to her lips again, but it was empty. "Damn..."

"Finish the story, lady."

"You should know how it ends by now, shouldn't you?" Tsunade's gaze grew less sad and more hostile. "He died! I tried to heal him while we were out there and he died anyway, no matter how much I tried to stop it. I'm a medic nin and I couldn't stop it. That necklace is cursed!"

Tsunade pushed Loor away, violently, nearly knocking the girl off of the arch. "That necklace... that stupid crystal chooses who can wear it, and when I kept giving it to the wrong person it killed them! It only accepts me, so it doesn't even matter if Naruto wins our little wager... because he can't."

Tsunade was getting rather confusing. "What do you mean, he can't?" Loor asked, holding out her hand to return the necklace to her.

"I'd think his dying would be a bad thing..." Tsunade took the necklace. "With my luck, there's no way he can win."

"With your luck...?" Loor raised an eyebrow. She felt a smirk forming at one side of her mouth.

"I have good luck when bad things are going to happen." Tsunade shrugged. "Been that way my whole life. Other than that my luck is lousy... so the only way he could win the bet--"

"Is if the necklace was going to let him live... Keh... it _is_ a small world."

"Hm?" Tsunade seemed confused. That was easy for a drunken person but still.

"I happen to have the same issue with luck." Loor rolled her eyes. "Bad things happen, I'd probably win the lottery."

* * *

Keh... anyone else notice Loor didn't hold up her side of the deal? The joy of drunk people. Trust me, I live with two of them. XP

Anyway, Loor has a UBER speical annoucement to make. As of this chapter upload, if I have my count right, I have now archived over 1,000,000 words on fanfiction!!

-happy dance-

Wow... I have no life. XP

Also on DA I'm soon going to cross over the line of 100 pictures online. Go to www DOT deviantart DOT com and look up LoorTheDarkElf to check it out. I'm thinking my 100th picture is going to be some sexy stuff of Jak or Gaara... or both. You know, could do some interesting things there... NOT YOAI! XP Perverted people. I also might do something filler-ish here as random celebration... but we'll see. Depends on what people want. Feel free to make requests for a funny one-shot or whatever. XP

**No ownage.**

Reivews make me happy!!


	35. Where's Naruto

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Thirty Five- Where's Naruto?**

"Jiraiya!"

"Huh?!" The white haired man shot up out of bed, shocked from sleep by someone yelping his name. It took him a few moments to realize Loor was at the end of his bed, looking like she herself had just woken up, and also looking very steamed. "Wha... what do you want?"

"Where is Naruto?" Loor growled, glaring at him. "He wasn't here when I got in last night, and he still isn't back. I assumed he went out..."

"He did." Jiraiya yawned, shaking his head and wiping his eyes. "Went straight to training, left a note sayin' that we shouldn't expect him back till he's finished the jutsu."

"But... he came in with me, and was way against me leaving..." Loor became concerned, her worry replacing her rage. "Damn it, Naruto is so stubborn too... changing his mind would take something big, something he really connected with..." She frowned, tapping her chin.

"You should go find him." Jiraiya gave.

"Hm?" She narrowed her eyes on him. "How the hell would I know where he is? I can handle this town at night, but if you expect me to go from lane to lane in fully _crammed_ daylight you got another thing comin'! That's like asking a hemophobic person to go to a slaughterhouse and work for a day! I'll freeze not two feet from the hotel and we both know it."

"Very simple." Jiraiya started to rouse himself, going over to Naruto's stuff. His night stuff was still folded up at the end of the second bed in the room. The white haired sensei picked up Naruto's fuzzy nightcap. "I'll go with you to find Tsunade's aid Shizune. That pig of hers, TonTon, can track down anyone as long as he's sniffed them or something that belongs to them. TonTon finds Naruto, you stay with him. If you compete with him it should help him... and you. You two are at the same stage. Help each other to finish it."

Slowly, she nodded. The idea made sense... but she worried. If Naruto hadn't come in it was likely he wasn't going to stop his training for anything. Not to eat, not to sleep... not anything. He was far too dedicated to things he'd promised to do. Once the words 'believe it' left his mouth he wasn't going to give up. "Right." She gave, feeling a bit of her fire turning to electrical determination.

She'd do the same. She wasn't so much for keeping promises, but competing... oh, she could compete.

Jiraiya got dressed while Loor went and grabbed her green coat, which was the only thing she took off when she went to sleep. As she pulled it on she looked at Ryu, leaned on her pack.

She frowned, and changed directions. She took the coat off and put Ryu through the makeshift holster; AKA her bra. Once Ryu was secure she helped her coat around her shoulders and then managed to lean over her stuff, which had been dumped out of her pack and onto the floor, and sifted through it till she found something in particular.

The vial of sand. She took some comfort in having it, pocketing the vial and standing straight.

"Ready to go?" Jiraiya asked, calling her attention.

"Hm?" Loor turned to face him. Old bastard got dressed fast. "Oh, yeah. I am."

"Right." He grabbed the two keys hanging by the door, taking one himself and tossing the other to her. She had taken the same key before, which means Naruto left without a key. Even if he did come back he'd probably have to break in through the window or something.

Jiraiya led the way out of the room, yawning widely and looking up and down the hall of the hotel they were in. "Hm... this is one of the nicer hotels here... wouldn't put it past Tsunade to have a room around here."

Two doors down, a door came open. Instantly Loor looked on curiosity. "We got lucky." Loor said to Jiraiya, almost smirking.

Shizune was letting herself out of the room two doors down from them. "Shizune!" Loor called, smiling.

"Oh?" The black haired person looked up the hall to see Jiraiya and Loor, brown eyes widening a little before she returned the smile and waved. "Good morning." She greeted, the pig TonTon following her out of the room. "Heh, luck would have us in the same hall, wouldn't it?"

Loor started walking down the hall quickly, keeping her smile. "That is would. Listen, Shizune, we kinda need your help."

Jiraiya was right behind her, nodding a bit. "We were actually wondering if we could borrow you and TonTon for the morning."

Shizune looked between the two of them while leaning down to pick TonTon up. The pig didn't struggle at all, seeming quite comfortable in human arms. "What for? And where is Naruto?"

"That's just the thing." Loor said. "He's missing."

Shizune nearly dropped the pig she just picked up. "What?!" She yelped, shocked.

"Don't worry, he can take care of himself." Jiraiya assured. "We just want to know where he is, and I know that pig has a better nose than some dogs I know. Can you help us out?"

"Do you have anything that belongs to him?" Shizune asked, calming down.

Jiraiya held out the nightcap that he'd taken from Naruto's stuff. "Will that do?"

Shizune nodded a bit, putting the pig down and holding the hat in front of him. "C'mon TonTon, find Naruto."

TonTon sniffed the hat for several moments, meandered up and down the hallway while sniffing, and then tried to bolt in one direction, struggling against the leash on his neck, nearly dragging Shizune. "Whoa!" Shizune yelped. "He's got a trail!"

* * *

When Fury woke up, she was in a hospital bed.

Again.

"I thought I told you to take it easy."

Groaning, Fury turned her head to find Dr. Sumeyo at her bedside, looking as clean and as stern as she usually did. "Eh... oops?" She asked groggily, noting that her arm was in a brace.

The doctor shook her head, getting up from the chair at Fury's bedside and closing the curtains on the window, the door to the room already shut. "You're lucky that we're used to treating people far more reckless than you, but with much more strain you could have destroyed the muscles in your arms, or broken the arm again." Sumeyo looked back at Fury. "I suggest you take it easy and do the therapy exercises we wrote out for you and Kiba to go through. I don't want to see you here again unless it's for a very good reason."

Fury nodded slightly, laying back. God, she felt like she'd been run over by a truck. And not a little truck, a big eighteen wheeler with chains on the tires. It wasn't just her muscles that ached, her arm feeling like it had the skin, muscle, and bone separated from each other, and her whole body throbbed with waves of hot and cold.

"You fought a Hyuga." Dr. Sumeyo said as she sat down in the chair again. "Your chakra network is still struggling to regulate."

Fury felt as if she was having her mind read. "So... that's why I'm going hot-cold?"

"Yes. You're lucky... I think. I'd assume its Neji you went up against. He's the only one I know who'd be willing to go so far in a spar. That was... what happened, right?"

Fury nodded. "He's my peer sensei. After a month of training me he wanted to see what I'd learned..." She made an attempt at getting up but yelped in pain and laid back down. "But it looks like I lost."

"Of course you lost."

Fury frowned, lowering her eyes from the doctor, her jade eyes narrowing in shame. "Yeah... I guess... I always lose."

"If you want to get stronger, beating yourself isn't going to help." The doctor got up again. "Neji was a chunnin candidate. Don't take him lightly."

"I didn't." Fury muttered, angry but talking too quietly for the doctor to hear. Fury was one for silent rage.

"I'll allow you visitation, but you're spending another night here to allow the effects of the Gentle Fist time to wear off."

With that, Sumeyo left.

Fury started at the ceiling, rolled to her side, and buried her head into her pillow. She lost! She still wasn't strong enough!

She still couldn't stand up to Neji, and if she couldn't stand up to Neji then she couldn't stand up to her sister.

"That doctor is an idiot."

"Tell me about it..." Fury muttered into her pillow. Two seconds later she realized that there was someone else in the room talking to her. She lifted her head sharply to see someone coming out of the attached bathroom. The person had to have been listening the whole time.

Said person was Neji.

"N-Neji!" Fury couldn't push herself up, but bowed her head a little in embarrassment.

That's when she noticed something... Neji was dressed in hospital garb like she was. He wore the pale blue robe and pants, his headband off but his hair nearly covering all of his face, as if he was trying to hide behind it.

"She forgot to mention that _you_ hospitalized _me_ as well." Neji said, sitting in the chair the doctor had recently vacated. Neji sat with his head bent, slouched over. With his long black hair he looked kinda like the girl from _The Ring_ , but Fury wasn't going to comment.

"I what...?" Fury questioned. "Why wouldn't she say anything...?"

"Probably didn't want it going to your head." He lifted his head a bit, his white eyes glowing under the blanket of hair. "Fury, where did you get that mark on your neck?"

She stared at him for a second, and then the memory hit her like a ton of bricks. She had used it during the fight! The curse mark, she had used its power! "I... I... uh, Neji. I really shouldn't say-"

"I just want to know why you have it. Why Loor has one much like it. Why yours acts like a second chakra source when faced with the byakugan's abilities. I struck all four points around your heart during our fight, Fury. That _should_ have killed you. It should have shut your heart down. But..." He shook his head. "That other chakra kept everything working. When you passed out I had to use my abilities to allow your normal flow of chakra and restart your heart before you died, but as long as that mark was working..." He trailed off, head bending again, his eyes vanishing.

"Loor and I didn't want these marks." Fury finally said. "We were bitten, and the bite somehow placed the curse mark. I'm sorry, but I don't know that much about it... just what it does to me." She lowered her head. "I'm sorry if... if I hurt you badly."

"That was the whole point of the fight, wasn't it?"

"Hm?"

"Spars have no point unless you go at the other person like you mean to take their life." He sighed, his hair fluffing around his breath. "You aimed... and nearly hit."

"No, no, Neji, you don't get it..." She closed her eyes, managing to roll completely onto her side to face him. "Before the mark came up... I didn't want to hurt you that much. Maybe get you to yell, but I didn't want to kill. When the mark came up... I didn't just want to kill, I wanted to torture."

Slowly, he nodded. The mark altered her morals, what she did and didn't want to do... like a person driven past reason with rage.

Rage. That was a lovely way to put it. Her mark gave her Rage. Perhaps she hadn't a care to who or what she was fighting, just that she was fighting.

"Why are you wearing your hair like that? I feel like I'm talking to the Grudge." Fury joked.

"Hm?" Neji questioned. Obviously, he didn't know what the Grudge was.

"Never mind, why are you all covered up by your hair?"

"Hiding." He said.

"Hiding what? I already told you all about my mark. Unless you got the same thing on your forehead, I don't think you need to worry about anything."

He chuckled, lifting his head. "Not the same, but close."

He brushed his hair to the sides, to show his forehead.

"Is... is that a...?" She trailed off, staring at the green swastika on his forehead.

"It is a curse mark." He confirmed.

"What does it do?"

"It's nothing like yours." Neji sighed, not daring to lean back in the chair. There was a puncture at the top of his spine still, which was the main reason he was here. He had been right to worry about damage, Fury had thrown the sinbon that hit him hard enough to cause a small crack in the vertebra she'd struck. The doctors had already used their medical jutsu on him before the crack turned into a break and caused damage that would screw with the rest of the body's functions, but he had to be nice to it for a day or two to make sure all the healing went well. He'd be sleeping on his stomach for a while thanks to the still present ache.

"But... what does it do?"

He got up out of the chair, walking out of her sight, probably for the door. "That is none of your concern."

Fury groaned as she heard the door opening and closing. She _hated _ it when people did that. When they started to say something... and then changed their mind about telling. Neji showed his mark, but saw no reason to tell her any more about it.

She could have kicked herself if her body didn't hate her. Leverage! He wanted to know about her mark... but she'd blabbed everything and then asked about his, expecting him to be fair, but Neji was a shinobi. He knew how to make deals and refuse to do things when someone couldn't force him. She needed leverage over him if she wanted to find out what the hell that swastika on his forehead did.

But she didn't know what leverage she could get. Neji seemed to be someone that was utterly impossible to get leverage on.

Well... she had all day in a hospital bed to think about it.

* * *

"Naruto _Nii-san!" _

Naruto had left the night before to train, and hadn't stopped at all to rest. He'd worked all through the night, through dawn, and day, stopping only for a few moments to eat something he'd bought in the city before going on. Honestly, he was exhausted, but refused to quit for anything.

But now, he paused and looked up. "Oi?" He questioned before grinning.

Naruto had picked a fairly dead area on the city outskirts to train. It looked like a wild fire and land slide had been through at the same time, everything coated with a layer of dirt and all the trees in the area, of which there were maybe thirty, were all thick but dead. Up a steep incline one could see the buildings of Tanzaku, but the footing was precarious...

Which is why he was grinning. None other than Loor was trying to make her way down the steep wall of dirt without slipping or rolling the whole way down.

"Imoto-chan, how did you find me?" He laughed, standing away from the tree that was his test subject for the moment… Seven of the trees were already scarred with his failed attempts at the rasengan, the inch deep spirals carved in at the beginning of last night, the two-inch deep spirals that were coiled tighter done at late dawn. Proof of progress.

"I managed." She answered, getting near the bottom before she stepped wrong and ended up sliding the rest of the way down. He laughed, walking up and offering her a hand, which she made a point of not taking, brushing herself off and holding herself as if nothing had happened. "Though I have to say I hate walking through that place... it's so crowded." She hugged herself, shivering for comic effect.

"Yeah... so, you're here to train with me, right?" He asked this with his sapphire blue eyes glittering, his goofy grin in place.

She smirked at him. "You'd better believe it."

"Oh yeah!" He pumped his fist in the air, grinning.

She smirked at him, shaking her head and turning to the tree he had been working over. Half of it was still clean, and she went to go stand and face it. "This is going to be strange..." She chuckled, holding her hand out. "I've never tried it without the balloon."

"It's easy." Naruto took the tree next to her, which was completely clean. "Just do the same as if there was a balloon there. Gather your energy, spin it with the other hand..." He held out his right hand, air whistling as it began to spin in his palm, his left hand coming down upon it, seeming to drag more air with it, spinning faster as he did it again and again, the air actually taking a gray-blue presence as it mixed with his chakra and the dust in the area, forming the orb in his hand. Eventually he held it between is hands, eyes squinted and brow furrowed with effort to keep the power up and also keep it contained.

He bellowed as he charged the tree, tucking the orb to his side before thrusting his right hand out to hit the tree.

Dust flew up. Loor covered her eyes to protect them.

Naruto stood panting in front of the tree, the dust clearing.

The spiral looked a little tighter, a little deeper, but still a spiral.

"Damn it!" Naruto cursed, and then looked over to Loor, regaining his smile. "Let's see you beat me, _Imoto-chan._ "

* * *

Tee... hee... hee. You all are going to hate me two chapters down, and Loor knows it. Yes... yes, she knows it. XP

See you punks tomorrow.

Review please!


	36. Burning

**Markings- Middle Ground  
Chapter Thirty Six- Burning**

"_AAHHRG!!" _

Loor slammed her latest attempt at the rasengan into the tree she was working with, bellowing as she did so, panting and squinting her eyes as the explosion of splinters and dirt went up.

"Not bad, _Imoto-chan." _ Naruto commented, going over to her. "You've got power down... your spiral is deeper than mine, but it's not as coiled."

"Means you're getting control better." She said, wiping muddy sweat from her brow, the noon sun beating down on them. "I've got to concentrate more."

"You wanna take a break?" He asked, also rubbing dirt and water off of his forehead, noting her condition. She had thrown off her coat hours ago and was threatening to cut her pants into shorts.

She gave him a look, and then started laughing. "Are you nuts? You gotta get your spirals as deep as mine before I call it quits!"

"Well you gotta get yours as tightly coiled as mine before _I _ call it quits!" he gave back, also laughing. "Believe it!"

"Right!" She nodded, pulling out a new balloon for the each of them. The system they had worked out was this; they'd practice twice with the balloons and then attempt the tree again, and then check each other's progress. She gave a balloon to Naruto as she blew up her own.

"Blowing up balloons is hard when you're breathing hard..." She muttered to herself, having to try three times before she could tie the thing off.

"Hey... Loor-chan."

"Hm?" She looked at him, holding her balloon in her right hand, ready to go when he was.

"You look like you're putting a lot more effort into this than I am..." He observed. "Is manipulating the air really hard for you?"

"Mm?" She shrugged. "Well... yeah. But Jiraiya said this was a tough jutsu so I kinda expected manipulating the air to be hard. I can say conjuring up fire is a lot easier."

He gave her a look. "What? Conjuring fire is _not_ easy. I tried it once... hardly got a puff of smoke."

"Really?" She cocked her head to one side, looking at her balloon. "I started doing it on accident. I was doing the tree-climbing thing with Sakura and I accidentally made the tiger sign instead of the ram sign, and the tree started on fire. Didn't even mean to. Later on Gaara helped me develop that a bit into something we decided to call the fire burst technique."

"Whoa. You must be elementally prone to fire." He went to explain before she could ask. "Everyone is prone to an element or two, or some people get lucky enough to have a bit of talent in all of them. If you're prone to an element its easier to work with it in ninjutsu techniques. Like a person prone to water will be better at making clones out of them than a person prone to fire. No doubt Gaara is prone to earth, with the way he manipulates the sand, and I'm guessing I'm prone to air, since I have no problem with manipulating it." He grinned. "Everyone has their gift."

Loor looked at her balloon again. "Fire prone, eh?" She muttered to herself. "Naruto, I think I just figured something out."

"Hm?"

"You said you don't have any problem with manipulating the air, right?" She stared at him. "I think that's why Jiraiya didn't fight me when I decided to give up this jutsu the first time. He knows I can't learn it. I think you have to be prone to air to perfect it. Jiraiya probably is, with how easy he makes it look, and the Forth Hokage probably was too since he made the rasengan." She frowned to herself. "I can't master this move... I just don't have the gift."

He stared her as she stared at her balloon. "Loor-chan, don't say that. You're not going to give up, are you?"

He watched as she suddenly got a devilish grin. "No way in hell, Naruto. I may not be able to master it... but I got an idea... I think I'm going to make it into something else."

"Make it into something else?"

She turned her gaze upon him, her blue eyes sparking with electrical intensity. "We made the sticky-jutsu, didn't we? Working off of the property of chakra concentration that allows people to stick to walls and ceilings. We took something we knew and changed it into something else for our own uses..." Her smile got to be truly beastly. "I already know I can manipulate air, even if it is hard. And I know I'm probably fire prone..."

Naruto could see the wheels in her head turning. "So...?"

"Naruto, what does a fire need to grow? What does it eat, so to speak?"

"Air. Oxygen, right? That's why when you blow on hot embers--"

"They burst into flame, and if you give oxygen or other flammables to a fire it grows and gets hotter." She gave him her balloon. "I think I got this."

He watched as she went back to her tree. She was ready to switch to a clean one, but didn't seem to care about the groves that were already in the one she was working with. She took her stance, bringing up chakra and holding her hand out.

Naruto watched as she gathered air, just like normal. The mass started spinning, like a little whirlwind kept in her hand... but she seemed to be weeding out the dust somehow. She was trying to...

He suddenly got it. She was trying to just get the stuff she wanted. She was targeting oxygen, even if she didn't know quite how to target particular parts of the air around her she was going to try. Even if she wasn't getting what she wanted there was less dust, the ball was clearer, less gray.

Sweat poured down her brow. She was killing herself with this.

She started the added spinning, her left hand smacking into the ball, changing the currents, making them clash, then clutching it in one hand, growling in effort as her left hand formed a seal.

The tiger seal. Seal for fire. Seal for power.

Her chakra flared again, pushing an extra charge down her arm into her hand as a flame sprung up into the currents held in her palm. She yelped in obvious pain, but held at it, not giving herself time to lose it and making her charge on the tree.

What happened next was best described as an explosion. Naruto didn't really care about what happened to the tree though, because Loor went flying out of the dust and smoke to slam into the steep slope that led back up to the city, some of the dirt knocking loose and hitting her as she slid to her butt.

He quickly ran over to her to pick her up and get her away from the slope in case it decided to have a landslide. She looked like she has smacked her head first, her face had wood ash on it, and her hand was burnt, puss pockets on her palm.

He looked back at the tree.

"Whoa..."

A hole three times the size of his head had been burnt into the tree, the inside of it still burning, large shards of wood all over the place from the explosion that had happened upon impact, the back of the tree having cracked from the explosion as well.

He whimpered, thinking what that would have done to a person.

"I think..." Loor coughed, chuckling weakly. "That was too much air... explosion bad..."

He looked at her and thanked the gods quietly that she hadn't hurt herself too badly. If she was still talking she couldn't have hit her head that hard, right? "No shit, Loor... you need some water on that hand."

She lifted her palm and looked at the puss pockets, groaning slightly. "Oops..."

"How bad did you hit your head?" He questioned.

She snorted at him, moving to sit up and get to her feet. "Not that bad, _mother." _ She gave, pushing to her feet before she was rushed by dizziness, having spread her feet to stay standing. "Just... just a little dizzy."

He shook his head at her, getting in front of her and holding up three fingers. "How many?"

"What do you take me for, and idiot?" She growled, glaring at him.

"Answer the question, _Imoto-chan." _

"Four."

"Wrong." He answered. He quickly made her lie down, using her coat and his as a pillow by folding his coat up and then hers around his since hers was fuzzy. After that he made a shadow clone to go into the city and find someone willing to give him cold water in a bottle or something.

"You got any tape or anything to wrap up your hand, Loor?" Naruto asked once his clone had taken off.

"Yeah..." she muttered. "My legs. Its so my weights don't irritate the skin."

"You have weights?" He asked, lifting up her left pant leg. "Whoa, they're just like Bushy Brow's."

She chuckled at his nickname for Lee. "That's cause he gave them to me. Take it easy removing them, they're one hundred pounds each. I'm used to them... been training with them since I've been training with Lee."

"That's a lot of weight, _Imoto-chan._ " He muttered, slowly unclipping the weights and sliding them both out from under her legs, taking the wraps from her left leg and rolling them up for the time being. He'd wrap her hand up once he'd gotten some cold water on it to stop the burning process.

_Take that, Sakura. I actually _ _**do ** _ _listen when you talk about field medicine, unlike Sasuke._

"Hey, Loor."

"Hm?" She had closed her eyes, not even turning her head to him. She'd never admit it but her head hurt from that knock she'd taken, plus the explosion was ringing in her ears.

"That was a pretty good idea you had."

She laughed a little. "Yeah... just needs a little polishing." She sighed. "But... you should get back to work. Don't worry about me... I'll take a nap or something. You've got a bet to win."

Naruto glanced up as his clone had come racing back, brandishing a sealed skin of water by the looks of it.

Naruto poured the contents over Loor's hand as his clone vanished in a puff of smoke, watching as she grimaced but didn't cry out.

"Okay..." Naruto bit his lip. He wasn't sure if you were supposed to pop blisters and wash them out or leave them be.

"Pop them." Loor said as if she were reading his mind. "If you don't they'll just pop on their own later. Pull off the dead skin covering it, wash out the puss, and wrap it. It's going to hurt like hell... but I'll live."

"Aren't you supposed to have a clean bandage?" He asked, worried. He didn't want her to get infected just because he did a bad job.

"You have one?" She growled. "It'll heal faster if you pop them... at least that's what I think. If I'm wrong it's my fault, not yours."

Slowly, he did what he was told, using a handy kunai instead of just pinching the blisters open with his nails, muttering 'ew' 'yuk' and 'oh gross' the whole way while pulling the skin that was over the blisters away and using the water to wash them out. When Loor decided he was doing a not so great job she started scrubbing her burnt hand with other hand to get all the yucky off while he kept a slow dribble of water over it.

"Bandage." She commanded, not letting him wrap her up. If it was going to hurt she felt better doing it herself. She decided which section was the cleanest and put that facing the wound, wrapping the rest around her hand nice and tight. Since it was like horse tape it stuck to itself, so she didn't have to tie it off. They shared the water that was left and Naruto left her alone to lie there and watch the sun move across the sky.

Several moments later she was asleep. The jutsu she had attempted to create had taken almost all the chakra she could bring to bear, not to mention pain was also something that exhausted a person.

But she fell asleep with a smirk on her face.

She had created the burning typhoon.

* * *

"Fury!"

Fury groaned lightly, closing her eyes. She knew that voice. She didn't really _like _ that voice, but she knew it.

"Ino..." The brown haired girl managed to lift her head and see said blond walk into her room. Fury felt like making a joke of how she was wearing matching colors again, but decided against it.

Ino had a huge smile on her face for some reason. "Heard you got beat up real bad last night by Neji... so we decided to bring you something."

Fury smiled weakly. "Thanks... wait a second. We?"

Ino turned around as she realized whomever she was with wasn't in view. "Choji, c'mon." She said.

That was strange. From what Fury had seen Ino would usually yell at Choji for the smallest things. Maybe she was just trying to put on a good show while in front of someone else.

Choji was with her though, also smiling warmly. He made Fury think of one of those big teddy bear type guys. They're not real lookers but they're sweet as can be and always there for you. Once Choji had shown up in the doorway they both entered, and Ino showed their gift.

It was a basket, like a picnic basket with a flap over the opening, with flowers woven into the handle and the flap.

Fury's nose twitched. The basket smelt rather distinctly of hot food.

"When the flowers die you can take them out... but while they're fresh it's really pretty." Ino gave with a smile of pride. "Usually we only have these made on special order and they're really expensive... but you can call this a free sample. You can always come by the shop for new flowers, but I'll have to make you pay if you do."

Fury noticed something. The flowers somehow matched. They were all colors that went together well. "How did you...? All the colors..."

Ino put the basket at the foot of Fury's bed, sitting at the end and letting Choji take the chair. "Choji helped me." She admitted. "Can't see them myself... just shades of gray."

"Sorry..." Fury muttered.

"I'm getting used to it." Ino sighed. "Too bad... while I was at Shikamaru's house his mom talked about a master healer that used to live in this village. She said that since my colorblindness was not natural, but an effect of a chemical, that healer probably could help me... but that healer doesn't live here anymore."

Fury nodded slowly, trying to sit up and failing. Quickly Choji helped her, moving her pillow for her to lean on. "So... what's _in_ the basket?" She asked, sniffing again.

Choji spoke up. "Mom and Dad made a little bit of each of their specialties. They're both great cooks." He smiled proudly. "No one beats Akamichi cooking."

"Really?" Fury motioned for Ino to hand the basket to her with her good hand. Ino slid it into her lap, and Fury flipped the flap up to take a look.

"Holy shiitake mushrooms." Fury stared. "Choji, that is a _lot." _

"It's a meal for two." Choji argued defensively.

Ino giggled. "Two Akamichi people. It's probably good for five people our age."

"What is that smell...?"

The three people present in the room looked to see someone else who had been walking, or better put, crutching past the room.

"Lee!" Fury greeted, bowing her head. "Choji and Ino brought me a get well present."

Ino expressed slight discomfort as Lee crutched his way into the room, but Choji gave her a look that translated to 'be tolerant. Just a little.'

"Hello." Ino greeted, though she was not as enthusiastic as Choji, who gave a smile and a wave with his hello.

"That was very kind of you two." Lee said, looking between Ino and Choji. "I have not had many visitors aside from my sensei since Loor left the village."

"Me and TenTen visit you." Fury protested, giving him a look.

"I said not many, not none." Lee gave her a small smile to show he meant it in good humor, looking into the basket on Fury's lap. "Wow... you surly do not plan on eating that alone, do you Fury? I think you might explode if you try."

"No. It's way too much for just me." Fury sighed. "Actually, we have four people here now... what do you all say to lunch?" She patted the basket with her good hand. "My treat."

Ino's hand shot into the air faster than Choji's. "I'm in!"

Three sets of eyes turned on her.

"Uh... what?" Ino blushed. "I had an apple for breakfast and haven't had anything since. I'm hungry."

"Oh, uh..." Fury lowered her gaze, as did everyone else. "Nothing, nothing."

"Fury..." Lee said, trying to change the subject quickly. "Where is Kiba? With you here for strain on your arm I would think he would be the first one to visit you."

"How did you know what I was here for?" Fury questioned.

"Word travels fast in the hospital. It is like its own village."

"Oh..." Fury sighed. "Kiba brought Neji and I in last night and slept by my bed after they got me fixed up, or so I was told. He left for a mission this morning, so he hasn't been able to visit. I know he will tonight though... he has to, so I can see my puppy."

"Schizo, right?" Choji asked.

"You remembered." Fury smiled. "Yeah. I'm guessing he kept her with him today so I could rest."

"So this Neji kid..." Ino gave, grabbing the basket and reaching into it. Choji had packed it with chopsticks enough for five people. She passed around three sets to the others and took a set herself while pulling out various types of food all in their own little boxes or containers and setting them around Fury's bed where people could reach them. "He beat you up... why?"

"He's my peer sensei." Fury explained, quickly grabbing something with her chopsticks that looked good. She was hungry too. She hated hospital food. "We were sparring and we both got a little carried away. I hospitalized him too. It's not like he victimized me."

"You beat him up too?" Choji and Lee questioned at the same time.

"But... Neji-Senpai is so quick." Lee said weakly.

"And he was a chunnin candidate. You're not even a genin." Choji added.

Fury felt herself reddening as even Ino's eyes questioned, even if her voice didn't.

"Um... well... you see..." She blushed even harder. "I've been training with him for a month now. He's taught me a lot, and training _with_ him I knew how to avoid his major attacks."

It was a load of bullshit, but she didn't want to mention her curse with Choji and Ino around... and she wasn't going to mention Neji's blind spot. She wasn't a back stabber like that.

"Oh." Choji nodded a bit. "That makes sense." His chopsticks, which had started at a rapid pace and paused only to question how Fury had beat up Neji, quickly restarted at taking things with the speed of quick draw. Ino also went back to munching like she hadn't eaten in two days.

Lee continued to stare at Fury in slight shock.

His eyes were upon her shoulder, where he knew the curse to be, even if her robe covered it up.

* * *

Keh heh heh. I told you Loor didn't master the rasengan! XP

She just... decided to make something else out of it.

And blow up a tree.

You people suck at leaving reviews though, you know that?

Oh well. You make do with what you got.

**I own nothing!**


	37. Demons

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Thirty Seven- Demons**

"Gaara?"

He turned his head when he was spoken to, looking at his sister as she entered his room. Not that he ever slept, but Gaara had always had his own bedroom. He had decided to spend some time there, sitting on his bed and looking out the window. The room was from the era of his life where his father pampered him, before he realized that the child he was pampering would become too powerful to control. It was reflected in the tama mats on the floor that sounded pleasantly as Temari tread on them, the rice paper lanterns on either side of the alcove that held his bed, the bed itself a waterfall of blankets and pillows below a lattice patterned window, the bars making criss-crossed shadows as moonlight shined through them.

Gaara had come to this room to be alone... but he had to admit his sister's presence comforted him. "Hm?" He gave before looking back out the window. It was no more than a week before the next full moon. He counted the rotation every night. He had taken off away from the village two days before the last one to get far enough out that not even Shukaku could run all the way back in one night.

"I... I heard about what happened today." Temari said, sitting on his bed next to him, also looking at the two-thirds-full moon. She had a tray with her; a teapot and two cups. He accepted a cup gratefully when she filled it for him. "I'm proud of you." She said as she filled one for herself.

Gaara nodded slightly, silently.

"I would have probably tried to hurt them." Temari admitted. "I mean... if a kid threw a rock at me they'd be a dead person. And I heard about some of the shit they called you... They've got no right telling people they're freaks and monsters. I've got half a mind to track 'em down myself."

"I..." Gaara sipped at the tea she'd brought him, his dark ringed eyes staring at the moon again. "I couldn't let Shukaku have his way... it took everything I had just to walk away."

Temari frowned a bit, noting how disconnected Gaara seemed. He was so focused on the sky... but his eyes were gone beyond the moon and stars. He was thinking...

The usual flat line on his face turned to a frown. His icy eyes narrowed.

"Where do you think she is...?" He wondered out loud.

Temari shook her head.

Of course.

"I'm not sure, Gaara... I'm sure she's okay, though. You don't have to worry about her. She's a tough girl."

They always said she. To say her name around Gaara was practically taboo. And it didn't matter; they knew whom they were talking about.

He nodded slightly, still distant. "You should go to bed, Temari."

She nodded, leaving with the tray she had brought in. Gaara had kept his cup, but he could bring it in to be washed himself.

He emptied the cup, placing it on the floor and keeping his eyes to the sky outside, still frowning. He didn't care what Temari said, Loor was a trouble magnet. He had full right to worry about her, even more so after what Shukaku had tried to do to her. He had a creeping fear that perhaps it would effect her later on, and he wouldn't be able to help her.

He tried to be proud of himself for today, though. He tried to think of what she would have said to him for controlling himself.

But it hurt to think about her.

Pain. How he hated that pain. It reminded him that he was alone. It almost made him want to dislike her for being just another connection that brought him pain and loneliness, but then he was reminded that she was probably undergoing the same pain.

She wasn't going to hate him for it. He refused to hate her for it. It wasn't even her fault.

But she had wanted him to let her go. She had said it, that she wanted him to let go so he could move on to someone else. She had not asked him, she had urged him. Why? Didn't she know how much shinobi traveled? Now that Suna and Konoha were allies again, and Konoha still marked Otokagure, the sound village that was under Orochimaru's rule, as an enemy it was more likely that shinobi from Sand would be sent to the leaf village to help with efforts in case of a second invasion.

Why hadn't he thought to say that when he still had the ability to speak to her?

His frown maintained as his icy eyes scanned the stars once more, the little glints of light.

He stared as if they could give him answers.

After several moments, he had a conviction. He _would_ find her again. He wasn't going to let go; he was going to hang on with all he had to every good feeling she'd ever given him. Sooner or later he would go to Konoha again, for the next chunnin exams or otherwise since he was still technically a genin, and he'd find her. He knew her haunts, and even if she wasn't there he knew Shukaku would help him if he had to.

Shukaku missed her too, even if he wouldn't admit it.

He wondered how she had managed that... to appeal to him and his demon, or just him alone. Gaara remembered how he was, inapproachable in all ways. Almost everything translated to a reason to eliminate someone, as everyone reacted in the same way; fear or arrogance. Either they screamed or mocked him.

But she... she just stared. She had been gripped in the sand many times, and never once did she scream for her life. She had faced Shukaku, once in the flesh and twice through his skin. Was it just being fearless?

No. He loved something else in her. He couldn't understand how she did this to him... but he knew there was something else about her, several somethings, that he'd never put into words. Something in how she played people like puppets on strings but never played him, her command over herself, her need to be the top dog all the time.

He found nothing to hate.

_**I've said it once, I'll say it again... you're pathetic.** _

He quickly reacted to his demon, laying back on his bed and staring at the ceiling. His gourd had been aside, laying on the floor, since he had gotten in so he actually could lay on his back. _You're just as. You haven't tried to make me let go or move on at all... I'd assume you also got attached. _

_**Interested is the better word. ** _

Gaara closed his eyes, retreating into his mind. It had been a long time since he and Shukaku had one of these encounters. About a month. _Interested? You were far more than interested. _

Shukaku appeared strangely to Gaara. The beast seemed subdued, the large sandy raccoon on his side, stretched out and claws sheathed, his fangs being the only things that showed that looked even slightly menacing.

That's when Gaara noted another thing... Shukaku had a tooth missing.

_Didn't that grow back during our last fight? _ He questioned, walking up to his beast carefully. Despite how unkempt the demon looked he was still at least five times Gaara's size at the moment. Mental fights were known to be mentally damaging to Gaara... best to be careful. All of Shukaku's teeth were on display for some reason, and one of the large fangs from his upper row was missing.

_**That wasn't the one you knocked out.** _ The monster answered, snorting at his host's caution. His already lifted lips twisted into a grotesque smile around his yellowed teeth. _**I lost that one to the girl. ** _

Gaara winced. Shukaku had left that fang somewhere in Loor's psyche. He couldn't grow it back, he had actually transferred a portion of himself to someone else, a portion of chakra that could be used and would regenerate on its own.

It probably even had Shukaku's will to protect its host imprinted on it.

_I take it you lost that one on purpose. _ Gaara said coldly.

Shukaku rolled onto his back, stretching out again with his paws over his head and his maw slightly open. He didn't feel like fighting. Depression had taken plenty out of the both of them. _**I had meant to simply give her a store of her own, make a beast of her own, out of that figment Lyra... but when your siblings forced the connection to break I had to leave something. A pity, Lyra would have made a very interesting creature if I had managed to fully give her a will of her own. ** _

Gaara became less careful, crawling atop Shukaku's chest and sitting on him since the creature didn't seem to mind. _You talk as if you were somewhat successful in your goal. You don't think a fang is going to bring a piece of her imagination to life, do you? _

_**I don't have to think, I know.** _ Shukaku kicked a foot, his claws stretching out before sinking back into the paw. _**Your bitch might not notice but that creature she calls Lyra should be a little more argumentative now... even if she's not aware that she could become a separate entity from your bitch.** _

Gaara found himself glaring at the giant raccoon. _If I could kill you, I would._

_**It wouldn't fix much.** _ Shukaku's gold eyes, though sill lazy, had grown amused. _**Even if someone found a way to take us apart it would probably kill you... and if you survived, you're half a sand demon now at the least. Maybe you won't want to kill every other person that walks past, but the sand control is something you're never going to lose thanks to having me your whole life.** _

Gaara glared, standing up on the creature's chest to glare down at those gold eyes. _I will never be like _ _**you.** _ _ Being a biju is like having an incurable sickness that drives people away even though they can't catch it... but I will over come you, and this village will be better for it._

_**So it's not even about the girl anymore, is it?** _ Shukaku seemed to smirk now. _**I just realized something... if not for me, you two might have never met. She had picked you out for seeming dangerous, if you remember. You owe me for even knowing her. If I'm a plague that drives people away, why did it attract her?** _

Gaara backed up a step. It was true, if not for Shukaku Loor might have never noticed him... but if not for Shukaku he would have been a completely different person, perhaps someone that another person could love, but not Loor. The demon had perked Loor's curiosity. _She's a cat._ Gaara regained himself. _A curious cat that is yet to be killed by her endeavors. _

_**You're telling me she's the only cat?** _ Shukaku laughed, making Gaara loose his footing and have to sit down on him again. _**She can't be the only one.** _

_Yes she can be, Shukaku. That's why I love her. _ Gaara actually smiled. _And it's the same reason you're 'interested' in her._ _She's one of a kind. _

* * *

"_Imoto-chan." _ Naruto gave quietly. It was the middle of the night but she had slept all day. He shook her, frowning down at her and biting his lower lip in worry. He had sent another clone into the city with his wallet to hunt up something to eat and drink, and it had returned with plenty for the both of them, but Loor showed a particular resistance to waking up.

She groaned lightly as he shook her, rolling onto her side and curling up in the dirt, her burnt hand clutched to her chest. "Mnng..." A frown had engraved itself into her face. "St... stop it..."

He shook his head. She was having nightmares again. They'd gotten worse since Gaara and his siblings had left the picture again. Loor had terrors almost every night, and had even woken up screaming on a few nights.

He reached behind him and brought a fresh skin of water forward, squirting it at her head. His clone had picked up two, so he could spare it.

"What?!" She yelped, sitting up fast, shaking the water off of her face. After a moment she regained herself and took note of where she was. "Oh... hi, _Nii-san." _ She wiped her face with her left hand, leaving her burnt right hand in her lap. "What... what's going on?"

"Dinner." He answered, producing a box and a set of chopsticks for her.

Loor smiled at him, nodding and thanking goodness that she was left handed with chopsticks. "Thanks... I didn't eat this morning."

He nodded, having a box himself and opening it up. Loor started to eat wordlessly, the boxed meals turning out to be bland but filling and having a little something from each food group.

"Hey, _Imoto-chan." _ Naruto gave, finishing faster than her since he had discarded his chopsticks thanks to the shaking of his hand and started eating with his fingers. Loor, being left handed but having always used her right for the jutsu, had no such problem holding hers as only her right hand shook.

"What?" She asked, eating slowly for once.

"I know that... you don't like talking about stuff that makes you sad, but sometimes you've been staring off and you look like you're about to cry. You did it a lot during training, right after..." He trailed off. "Right after _he_ left. And I know you probably don't wanna talk about it, but I'm worried about you."

She looked at him for a second, her chopsticks resting in her box as she stopped and looked down. "I... I'm just worried about him. After all I tried to teach him..." She felt her heart thud painfully. "I worry that he's going to go back to the way he was without anyone around to support him."

"He's stronger than that."

"I... I know."

"Then don't worry." Naruto leaned forward to get in her face. "Smile!"

She looked at him, and then sighed, putting her box aside and grabbing her makeshift pillow, unwrapping her coat from the mass and looking for something in one of the pockets.

She drew out a small glass vial... but it was open.

"Huh?" Naruto asked, looking at the vial, which was also empty. "Wasn't that thing full of sand?"

She gave him a look. "Naruto, did you go through my stuff? I never showed this thing to you before."

He turned slightly red. "I was moving your underwear back into your pack where I didn't have to stare at it and it fell out of your extra bra!" He defended. "But it had a cork in it and it was full of sand last night..."

"That it was..." Loor muttered, thinking to herself.

_How would it have come open? It couldn't have been the explosion before... if it had effected the bottle it would have just shattered, right? _

She got up, abandoning her meal and scanning the ground in the moonlight. It was hardly enough for the average person to see, but she spent enough time in the dark to be adept. She imagined that the way she could see at the moment was like being colorblind. Shapes and shadows? Yes. Color besides the moonlight's misty blue? No.

She had a bad feeling.

_**And what in the world would you have a bad feeling about, Loor? ** _

_What do you think!?_ She snapped at herself, eyes scanning for something she knew in particular with Gaara's sand... it glittered in moonlight, like gemstones. She remembered it from the night they'd drained Shukaku... that his sand shined in moonlight. _After Shukaku... trying what he did... if... _

_**What? Would it be so scary if the sand had... say, protected you? Had just acted on its own and kept you from burning yourself up in that explosion? I'd say that'd be less scary and more of a relief, but that's just me talking. ** _

_Shut up! You're supposed to be me! You're supposed to--_

_**Not argue, just piss you off? ** _

_And not cut me off! How the hell can I cut myself off?? _

_**I don't know, Loor. But... I think Shukaku saved you from yourself.** _

Loor didn't question it anymore, staring at the evidence at her feet.

The tree she had hit with the burning typhoon... sand glittered in the dirt at its trunk.

"Explosions go out in all directions." She told herself, looking at the bandage over her hand, wincing as she tried to make a fist of it. "I..."

She felt her pulse in her throat, frowning.

Shukaku had a minor success. That explosion from the test of the burning typhoon should have taken her hand off, burned her hair, singed her clothes... but she had managed to get away with blisters and a knock to the head...

Because Shukaku had tried to make her a _biju_ .

"Loor?" Naruto was walking around in the dark, looking for her. "_Imoto-chan? _ Are you okay?"

"I'm fine! I'm right here!" She gave back, still staring at the sand that shined in the moonlight. She started walking towards him, shaking her head when he opened his mouth to ask why she looked so crestfallen.

"Naruto... I need to talk to you."

"What's wrong, Loor?" He had obvious concern etched on his face. She sat down where she had been before, still ignoring her dinner as he also sat.

"You... you said one night when I came back late you heard screaming from the floor above, right? About a month ago, back before..." She broke her own taboo. "Before Gaara took off?"

He nodded. "Yeah... you never really told me what happened, but with Gaara you never know, so..." He shrugged. "What about it?"

She had her hands in her lap, palms facing up, frowning, staring at them. "Well... what had happened that night was that Gaara and I... well the night before I had gotten a little frisky with him and his hand went somewhere it shouldn't have and... well I guess when I told him to stop I perked his curiosity. The next night he tried to satisfy said curiosity... but I could see that Shukaku was pulling the strings. I called him out for it, and Gaara... he had one of his moments."

Naruto stared as she gave him a moment to digest this information. "You got frisky with him?"

"I couldn't help myself!" She defended. "Sometimes I think I could be a bigger perv than Jiraiya."

"I think he'd take that as a challenge..." Naruto couldn't help a smile. "Anyway, so he started arguing with Shukaku, right?"

"Yeah. Not out loud. He just... crumpled for a moment. When he looked up... Shukaku was speaking _through_ him. He had taken Gaara out of the driver's seat, so to speak... you can always tell when that happens; his eyes change. Gaara's eyes are blue... but they'd changed to Shukaku's eyes, the gold ones. You've seen those, right? He promised Gaara that he wouldn't touch me, but tried to do so anyway."

"Keh, you mean _Shukaku_ has got the hots for you?" Naruto seemed to find this rather entertaining.

Loor glared at him.

"Sorry. Sorry."

"Gaara stopped him from... y'know, doing anything, but then they got in a big fight. Not like his little mental things he gets over in a few moments. He... his chakra, and Shukaku's, took presence outside of his body. Shukaku attacked me that way. I found out later from Gaara that Shukaku was trying to..." She took a deep breath. "He was trying to give me a demon of my own."

"Whoa... you mean, like... I mean you've told me about talking to yourself, that thing you talk to now and then, Lyra is what you call it, right?"

"Yeah... I had recently explained Lyra to Gaara... and I guess Shukaku was listening as he had tried to find that figment of my imagination and breathe life into her... and since then she's been arguing with me a lot more." Loor bit her lower lip. "And... I think this confirms it."

"What does?"

She made eye contact with him, finally. "Naruto, when something explodes... what direction does it go?"

He thought for a moment. "It goes everywhere. Just... out."

"Right. You remember what happened to the tree, right?" She felt her own eyes tracking over to the shattered thing. "Now I ask you... why didn't the same explosion take my hand right off? Why do I just have a little wood ash on my face instead of most everything on my body burned?"

His mouth opened a little. "That vial...!"

"I don't know how... but whatever Shukaku put onto me... it kept his will to protect the host... and his ability of sand control. I'm sure I can't do it... I would have figured it out by now if I could... but I think the sand that Shukaku himself creates will protect me like it protects Gaara, because of what Shukaku did to me."

"But Shukaku can also make his own sand." Naruto argued. "If you've got a piece of his chakra, shouldn't it be able to do that too?"

"I don't think there's enough. If there was... it would have happened, and I would have gotten away with no harm at all." She looked at her bandaged hand once more. "How scary is that... Shukaku saved my life... more likely than not he did... there's no telling what that explosion would have done to me if I had gotten hit by it."

Naruto slowly nodded, frowning with his brow furrowed.

"You can't tell anyone else about this." He gave, his blue eyes showing a rare moment of extreme seriousness.

"Why not?" Loor questioned, looking at him. "I have to tell Fury, at least."

"Not even her, Loor." He locked onto her. "You've already seen it in me and in Gaara... that loneliness, that pain, that comes from other people knowing about what we have in us. If anyone ever found out that you were given demonic power, even a little tiny bit... I don't care if they're your best friend in the world, they could abandon you. I know you. You've been alone before... You've told me about it, people seeming to hate you for just being you. That's what its like, only worse, because you know the reason they hate you can't be fixed."

"But..." Loor tried to reason with herself... but he was right. Loor was sure she was one of the very few who could face either Naruto or Gaara without being fazed because she had more curiosity than she had fear... of anything.

She bit the inside of her cheeks, hard, as she felt a lump forming in her throat. She refused to cry.

She felt his hand on her shoulder. "_Imoto-chan..._ I can't tell people either. Only you and my team know, because they've seen it. Well... Jiraiya knows too, along with every adult in the village, but kids _my_ age aren't allowed to know. No one is allowed to talk about the Kyuubi. Sakura and Sasuke have seen it... Kakashi has seen it... but I have to keep it a secret from everyone else."

"You told me." Loor pointed out. "Why?"

"You already knew about Gaara's demon and liked him all the more for it." Naruto shrugged. "I felt I could trust you."

She hefted a long sigh, nodding. A lot of people liked to trust her... which is what made her feel bad. She didn't like to hide things from her friends... the few people that she actually trusted, like Fury, Naruto, Gaara, and even Kiba on a pinch. People like Lee, Gai-sensei, and Konohamaru.

She had to lie to them about this. Well... not Gaara, and Naruto already knew... but the rest of them. She had to lie to them.

She had been stopping that habit though. Her deceptions had grown sparse over the months in Konoha, in this world. Her need to lie had been more and more slack from day to day... and now she _had_ to do it again.

"I guess you really _are_ like my little sister now." Naruto joked to ease the tension in the air.

She looked up at him, sniffing as she did her damnedest not to cry and failed. A second later she had launched herself at him to hug him.

Lyra may have been becoming a demon... but Loor still felt human.

* * *

Okay people just giving you a heads up that updates might slow down a bit here. I'm house sitting for some people and sadly I have issues writing if I'm not in my usual hidey hole (AKA my room.) I'll hope to have a new chapter to ya'll soon, but till then I hope you find some other good stuff to read.

**No ownage.**

Oh yeah, on a side note… Is it just me or is Loor getting a tad Sue-ish? Meh, might just be my paranoia but I might be taking future measures to counter act it. That's what sucks… I write my OC after me, but I got an ego the size of China so even when I write her as true to myself as I can, I sometimes make her sound a bit too good. –le sigh- But it's all part of the work.

Reviews make the depressed author happy.


	38. Healing Hands

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Thirty Eight- Healing Hands**

"Fury."

It was a whisper that brought her out of stasis, eyes cracking to notice it was hardly dawn. Fury groaned lightly into her hospital pillow, trying to sit up and actually finding the strength.

At the end of her bed she found Kiba. He had come to see her after his mission and sacked out there with both dogs sleeping by her feet, but he was still sleeping... so he wasn't the one who had called her name.

She looked to the door.

"Lee... you're up early."

"I wanted to speak to you alone." Lee said as he hobbled over to her bed, strangely quiet for someone with a crutch. "How did you truly beat Neji-Senpai? Loor has failed before you... I have failed. How did you do it?"

She stared at him for a moment. He had woken her up so early for this? Just one question?

She sighed, glancing at Kiba. "I... he made me lose it." She reached to the collar of her robe, pulling it down enough to show her mark. "I lost control of it... I don't even remember the time I was using it... I had just lost it." She shrugged. "I remember emotions, but the fight itself... don't know. But when my mark activates... I want to torture whoever I'm fighting, I want to make them die in the worst of ways." She looked up at him. "And as scary as it is... the power is amazing. I remember feeling the rush, the feeling of being the best."

Lee almost shivered as she gave an almost devilish grin.

"And I did something Loor hasn't done... and now I'm sure Neji will train harder so she never beats him. I've beaten her... I have to say it feels... awesome. I don't have to live in her shadow anymore." She lifted her damaged arm, looking at her hand. "I finally feel free of her... that I can do what _I_ want, because she can't scare me into a corner anymore."

"You want to fight her now, do you not? To prove you are better?"

"Damn straight I wanna fight her now!"

He frowned at her. "Why...? Do you rival her, or is it vengeance for caring about you?"

Fury thought for a moment, biting her lip. She didn't consider Loor a rival... just someone who was always better than her at everything, most times without even trying. Loor was always on top, no matter what. Loor was always better at fighting, better at making friends, better at life in general. Loor had it all, and for some reason never seemed to realize it.

And Fury... she always felt as if she had nothing. She felt like a poor kid hanging with a rich kid, someone who had everything, several of everything, and didn't like it, and someone who just wanted one of something.

She wanted vengeance. She wanted to knock some sense into Loor's thick skull to make her realize how much she had... and then take it away. She wanted to steal Loor's instant glory, her tough and almost evil demeanor that so many people either feared or thought was cool.

"Vengeance." Fury finally answered, her gaze hardening. "I want to teach her a lesson."

"She has done nothing but care about you, Fury." Lee reasoned as the room began to brighten, dawn becoming obvious. "What lesson is there to teach her?"

"You wouldn't understand." Fury replied, lying back in her bed again. "It's something between sisters... You admire her... you _like_ her. You'd take her side in any argument just for that." She actually glared at him. "You might even love her... don't you?"

Lee looked hurt, backing away a step. "I... she does not want me. She is still grieving over Gaara."

"Follow her philosophy... I plan on it." Fury closed her eyes now, trying to settle back into sleep.

"What is that?" He asked.

"If something is not given to you... _take _ it."

Lee stared at her for several moments, but it became obvious that Fury was asleep.

He crutched out of her room, frowning. This was a strange change for Fury to undergo... just by hospitalizing Neji she seemed to feel as if she could take on the world and then some... and there was nothing wrong with her feeling that way, but to suddenly decide that she needed to fight Loor to teach her some kind of lesson...

Fury seemed angry with Loor for something, and Lee worried that it would take a toll on Loor once she returned to Konoha... which was not good. The main reason Loor wanted to go was to have time and space to think. She wanted to get away from everyone and let her mind get out of the 'I need to survive' mode and just live for a while.

If she got back and was instantly confronted by her irritated and freedom/power-intoxicated sister... any thinking Loor got done would be blown away, Lee was sure.

And that was the best way to describe Fury at the moment... intoxicated. Drunk on her victory... even if it was not a full one.

But it was only her curse that had allowed her victory.

Lee made it back to his room, sitting on his bed and setting his crutch against the wall, sighing softly and then looking at the window. He knew Loor would be better at explaining to Fury that the mark was not to be treated lightly... Loor had explained her curse to Lee, and the two times she had been under its influence... it was obvious that such power came at some price. He didn't want to see Fury pay it, as a friend of Loor's he did not want to see the younger sister undergo something awful in the pursuit of power.

But he feared that she was going to. It already seemed as if the girl's personality had made a shift from shy to raging... but not Loor's type of rage. Even Loor's rage could be considered slightly controlled, as she would channel it into her training or sparing, but Fury was taking her anger to form something of a hate for her sister.

Lee was sure that curse on her neck had something more to do with it. She had mentioned it... once in the mark, she did not just want to kill, she wanted to torture. But was it possible for the mark to affect her personality outside its activation?

"Loor..." He said to his window. "Return home to us... this village is going to need you."

He had a feeling... that she needed the village as much as it needed her. Konoha was not just a place... it was the people that made it up, its leader, its shinobi... and he had seen Loor at her best. He had seen her before the curse had taken its hold, before she lost herself every night in emotional confusion.

When she had her eye on the ball and her head on straight... she was incredible. And this village seemed to help her before. He was sure that the village could help her again.

It had to help her. He was not sure he could bear seeing her cry again. Someone so strong... reduced to tears, the sight had a way of being heartbreaking.

"Please Loor." He muttered again. "Come home."

* * *

"Loor... did you sleep at all?"

"... No." Loor admitted as Naruto walked over to her to make sure she was still okay. He hadn't let her get up at all since eating, expecting her to sleep, but she had just stared at the stars all night.

She had been arguing with Lyra over the current situation, but arguing between Loor and Lyra was like an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object; neither were going to give in.

"That's not good for you, _Imoto-chan." _ He gave, crouching by her, sighing.

"It's not good for you either, _Nii-san." _ She closed her eyes and shrugged. "And you've been beating yourself up all night."

"I'll live." He smiled, stealing one of her phrases. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, _hai?" _

She chuckled lightly, shaking her head and sitting up. "I think I'm going to go into the city..."

"What for?" He asked, a little shocked that she'd go up there willingly.

She looked at her burnt hand. "I have a feeling that I was wrong... this thing is hurting like hell... I think we were supposed to leave the blisters alone." She forced herself to her feet. "I wanna go see if I can find someone to give me a clean bandage or something..."

He got up too, keeping with her as she started walking towards the steep slope up to the city. "I'll go with you." He volunteered.

She gave him a look. "You gotta keep training." She growled at him, feeling a threat to her independence. "I know you didn't finish it last night, you would have come and tried to wake me up... even if I wasn't sleeping. I know you and your victory dances." She then smirked slightly. "I can handle myself, believe it." She giggled, thefting his phrase.

He stared at her for a second... and then sighed. "At least let me send a shadow clone with you? I worry, you know I do."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine." She chuckled, turning to get going, not waiting for him as he preformed the jutsu. Seconds later, a Naruto clone joined her in her trek up the slope, avoiding loose clumps of dirt and seeking out old tree roots that would be good hand holds.

Once up that slope... they were faced with the city.

The Naruto clone next to her started laughing.

"Hm?" She gave him a look. "What's so funny?"

"You should have _watched _ me perform the jutsu, Loor... cause I'll tell you right now," He pulled out his frog wallet from his pocket. "Only the real me would have my money, believe it!"

"Naruto!" She snapped, realizing she had the real one with her, and the copy was down below.

"What?" He smirked, grabbing her hand and leading the way into the city. "How do you think you're going to get any medical supplies without any money?"

She glared at him for a second, mainly because he was right. Then, she noted something. "Wait a second... didn't Jiraiya spend all your money at the other city we stayed in? I remember, you were really angry with him..."

"Yeah." Naruto tugged on her so she wasn't walking behind him but beside him. "But then the other day I used the last of my money to buy a scratch slip, where you scratch the film off of three spots and if the pictures match up you get money, right? Well..." He grinned, showing his frog wallet, which seemed to be back to it's fat self. "It was enough to fill _Gama-chan_ and then some."

"_...Gama-chan?_ You named your wallet?"

He shrugged, putting the frog away. "_Gama_ means frog. I thought it fit."

"You're goofy." She told him, getting him to let go of her hand so she preserved a little dignity. It was hardly dawn, so the streets weren't _too_ crammed yet. Just some early morning people walking about, shops opening up, and the like.

Naruto nodded, smiling widely for some reason at the comment, and walking a tad slower to scan the shops. Some place around here had to sell medical stuff, it was a city. Cities had everything, or so Jiraiya told him... but most of the shops he was seeing here were food and fashion, and half of them weren't even open.

That's when Naruto's eyes noticed something else.

"What the...?" He asked at first, staring at someone he had seen down the way. "Kabuto-san!"

Loor looked up the way to see what Naruto was seeing... and was damned shocked when she did. Kabuto it was, the silver haired Harry Potter wanna be. "Kabuto?" She stared. The silver haired boy had taken notice when Naruto shouted, smiling while waving.

_What the hell is four eyes doing here?_

_**Don't ask me.** _

_I wasn't!! _

Loor had to remember that every thought she put through her own head was also put up for argument, seeing as Lyra loved talking to her now as it seemed to piss the girl off to no end.

Naruto had raced up to Kabuto, and Loor had hurried after him as not to be left alone.

"What are you two doing here?" Kabuto asked, friendly as always. His glasses were off, as he was cleaning them, and he had to squint to see the two blond teens properly. "Last I heard no one was going in or out of Konoha lest for missions."

"On that note we could ask you the same thing." Loor gave, glaring at him. Yes, he was wearing a Konoha headband... that didn't mean she trusted him. "What are you doing way out here?"

"Me?" He put his glasses back on, smiling and turning to walk down the way, motioning them along. "My team was sent out here to make sure the forces from Otokagure retreated all the way back to their own country... but my sensei got sick along the way."

"_But my sensei got sick along the way."_

Loor glanced between Naruto and Kabuto as the two struck up a conversation as her talk with Tsunade came rushing back.

_Jaaku. What Kabuto calls his sensei, what Tsunade and Jiraiya called Orochimaru in the old days. _

Loor felt herself nearly twitching, but she held it back as she made the connection...

Kabuto wasn't on their side. It wasn't that his sensei had gotten sick, Orochimaru had been Jaaku... which meant Orochimaru had to be somewhere around here; wounded, his arms all messed up.

"_Sarutobi sensei did know how to mess a person up." _

Tsunade had seen it herself, said that Orochimaru had been passing through on his way back to his country, and was practically a dead man walking.

But Kabuto... Kabuto had to be...

Loor had stopped dead in her tracks, feeling dizzy. Kabuto was Orochimaru's subordinate.

"Loor?" She heard the silver haired snake asking her attention, and she slowly gave it in a cold and hostile glare. How dare he give such a chummy smile, with Naruto dancing to his tune.

This was the man wearing purple. This was the person that helped Orochimaru kill her family.

But... there no way Naruto would believe it, and they were in the middle of the city. Loor already knew that Naruto knew Kabuto as a friend, but she had never trusted the guy, which was why she was able to make this connection... see what was going on.

She knew that Kabuto was dangerous, but she couldn't let on at the moment. Right now he was forced to pose as an ally, and she'd play along to his act... for now.

She made the hostile look go away, changing her face to indifference. "Sorry. Got lost in my own head." She said this while walking a bit to stand between Kabuto and Naruto.

She had a right not to trust this guy. He was a snake, just like Orochimaru, and she could see it now more than ever.

"You've been doing that a lot, _Imoto-chan." _ Naruto commented, giving her a look. "Something in particular bothering you?"

"My hand just hurts is all." She gave, waving the bandaged thing as an excuse.

"What happened to it?" Kabuto questioned as the whole group started to walk again.

"Burned it." She giggled slightly. "The other day I was practicing a fire style jutsu and got my hand with it... and then I made the dumb move of popping the blisters."

Kabuto winced. "Never pop the blisters. The skin cover keeps possible infections out while everything under it heals. Once you open it, you give a free ride to every bit of bacteria in the air." He smirked, holding his hand out. "Here, let me see it. I spend a lot of time with the doctors back in Konoha, and actually know a bit of medical jutsu myself."

Loor blinked at him twice. He was an enemy, she had to remind herself. As kind as he was being...

She glanced at Naruto, who was still oblivious. She had to expect that as long as Naruto was around Kabuto wouldn't show his true colors.

Slowly, she put her hand in his as the group stopped again, going just outside one of the shops to be out of the main traffic areas. Once Kabuto had her hand he unwrapped it to show it was still red and raw.

He shook his head. "The bandage wasn't even clean, was it?" He looked at what he had pulled off of her. "This isn't even meant to be a bandage. This is protective tape to keep things like weights from bothering the skin or stuff like that." He chuckled at her. "Loor, you know very little about field medicine."

"I just went with my gut." She gave back to him, giving a glare that warned him he was on thin ice.

He took the glare with a sheepish smile. "For future reference, never pop blisters." He then gave the raw hand a look, smiling slightly. "I can fix this, no problem."

"Fix it?" Loor questioned. "You sayin' you actually can heal it, right here?"

He nodded, smirking. "Its simple." He answered. "Do you want me to?"

Naruto chuckled, answering before Loor could. "Of course she does. She hasn't perfected that jutsu yet, but she couldn't get back to it without her hand." He smiled brightly. "Kabuto-san, you should see this jutsu once she perfects it, it's going to be amazing!"

"Really?" Kabuto held Loor's hand in one palm, the other held over the open blisters. Loor could feel his chakra charge coming up... and his hand began to glow green. Softly he placed the glowing hand upon her wound, and she watched the skin regenerate right before her eyes, the throbbing pain sinking down to a little nothing.

Naruto watched and smirked as Kabuto gave Loor's hand back. "Good as new! _Arigato_ Kabuto-san!"

Kabuto nodded, smiling at Naruto. "I'm always happy to help a friend."

Loor gave him a dirty look.

_**Apparently he's always happy to help a foe, too.** _

_Shut up._

"Well, Naruto, I guess we can go back now." Loor prodded. "Don't want to lose any more time, right?"

"Good point." Naruto nodded, looking around. "The streets are getting more crammed too..." He looked at Kabuto. "It's a good thing we found you."

"Hm?" Kabuto questioned. "You would have found proper medical supplies eventually." He said this while handing Loor's wraps back to her. She took them with a nod, thinking about how good it would feel to get her leg weights back on. "How long it takes it more of an annoyance than anything."

"Nope." Naruto pointed at Loor. "She's got an issue--"

"With cramped spaces." Loor cut Naruto off. It was close to the truth, but she wasn't going to let Kabuto know of her fear. "Claustrophobic. Can't stand it when I've got people I don't know at all sides of me and stuff."

Kabuto glanced between the two. "That's never good." He gave a small smirk. "But at least you're afraid of something, Loor. I was beginning to think you were completely fearless."

_And I was beginning to think that you were actually one of the good guys. Looks like both can be wrong. _

"I guess everyone has their little problems." She glanced back to see that Naruto had already started walking. "_Nii-san, _ wait up!"

Naruto, seemingly impatient now, stopped and tapped his foot, crossing his arms and leaning on the building he was next to.

"Loor." Kabuto gave, catching her attention. He was speaking quietly now. "I think you've noticed something Naruto hasn't."

She gave him a look. Naruto was out of hearing range. "Why did you heal me if you knew that I knew?"

"Keeping face while Naruto is watching, of course." He bent to her height, smirking widely. "Know this... Orochimaru-sama wants me to capture you. Enter the city alone... and I will."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"If you vanished, it would hurt your sister..." Kabuto trailed. "And I actually rather like her. Watch yourself."

She gave Kabuto one more look... and then ran after Naruto.

THAT, was creepy.

* * *

KABUTO REVEALED!

… sounds like the name of a dirty magazine. XP Oh well, FINALLY got this chapter up, and I've got quite a few more finished. So as long as the storm forming outside doesn't fry my computer we should have updates for the next few days. –dances- YAY!

**No ownage.**

Reviews make me happy.


	39. Traitor

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Thirty Nine- Traitor**

"Hey, Kiba, can I make a quick stop on our way out?" Fury asked. She had been discharged from the hospital for the second time, Kiba walking with her, the dogs on their heels. "There's someone I wanna talk to."

Kiba gave her a look, shrugging slightly. "Sure, go for it. Who is it?"

"My sensei." She said simply. They were still in the hospital, but Fury pulled a U turn to go back the way they had come to get to Neji's room. It was getting close to lunchtime... but she was sure Kiba could wait an extra few moments as she went and found something out.

She knew how she was going to get Neji to tell. She had told herself she wouldn't use it against him... that she wasn't a back stabber like that... but as she was given time to mull over how Neji and most other shinobi acted, it would seem that the ninja world was full of back stabbers.

Who cared if she did it once or twice?

She asked Kiba to wait for her outside Neji's room, entering it quietly.

Neji was sitting up in bed, though he had the same posture as the day before; bent over with his hair covering his face. Apparently people in the hospital weren't supposed to wear their headbands for some reason, and his headband is what usually covered his mark.

"Neji." Fury addressed.

He looked up at her, black hair parting enough for one of his white eyes to show. "What do you want?" He asked. "I do not leave the hospital till tomorrow, if that is what you want to know. We will restart training then."

"Not even close, sensei." She gave, walking up and sitting in the chair that every room seemed to have for visitors. "I want you to tell me about your mark."

He snorted at her. "I have no reason to." He gave back, turning to his belly and laying down as it still hurt to lay on his backside.

"I think you do." Fury leaned over, placing her elbows on her knees and her cupping her chin between her hands. "That is, if you want me to keep your other little secret."

Laying down his dark hair had shifted enough to uncover both eyes, which had focused upon her in shock. "You wouldn't." He gave. "I know you too well... the guilt would overwhelm you."

"Not anymore." Fury actually got a smirk. "I feel free, Neji. I may not have won a complete victory over you... but I've done better than Loor. No one is going to make me feel guilty this time. No one can beat me down anymore. And I can easily tell anyone, including Lee, about your little blind spot... without a care."

He blinked at her, a frown taking over his usual smug expression.

She had leverage. She had cornered him.

He sighed. "My mark... you want to know what it can do?"

She smirked. She'd won again.

"It can't help me in battle, Fury. This mark... it is like a cage." His white eyes closed. "If I do something the upper branch of my family does not like... they could kill me with it."

Suddenly her victory tasted bitter. "What?"

He nodded. "The Hyuga family has two branches... the upper branch, the ruling family, and the lower branch. Hinata, my cousin, is part of the upper branch. It is my duty to protect her with my life, as being part of the lower branch. If I tried to kill her, or disobey an order from the upper branch... she has a jutsu that would activate the mark on my head... which would fry my brain and kill me."

Fury whimpered.

She sympathized with him. He felt caged in all the time, controlled by people that he was supposed to love; his family. His own cousin had the power to kill him on a whim.

It reminded her of how oppressed she'd feel sometimes with Loor playing mother to her, or her own actual mother. Of course... her mom wouldn't kill her, but there was still that tone of control, of the cage.

She backed off, sighing. "That's horrible."

"It is what it is. My destiny made me part of the lower branch, a servant. All I can do now is follow my path."

"But..." She trailed off. This wasn't the same. She might have felt for him, but her situation and his situation were not one of the same. If he tried to break free... someone was liable to kill him. "Why don't you just run away?" She muttered. "Couldn't you... get out of range, or something?"

"No." He answered simply.

"How do you know? Has anyone ever tired? And..." Fury bit her lip. "I've met Hinata. I don't think she could kill you. You're her cousin. I bet she admires your power. I've seen her training, she wants to be as powerful as you are. She wouldn't kill you, even if the clan ordered her to."

"Her father would, and he has the same power over me." Neji's eyes focused upon her again. "Fury... I know you feel bad for me. You feel the same under your sister, like a pet bird with no use... but understand I have thought through every possible escape and found it fruitless."

She nodded slowly, her top dog attitude gone.

"Be proud of yourself, Fury." He closed his eyes to rest. "You escaped. When Loor comes back she's not going to find her sister... she's going to find a shinobi that looks like her."

Fury hefted a sigh, nodding again and getting up. "_Arigato, _ sensei."

She returned to Kiba, mute the whole way home.

* * *

The next five days passed in a blur for Loor. She tried to stay up all night to keep an eye on Naruto, but she couldn't match his energy for some reason. Of course each day he took another step closer to the rasengan, and at the same time she was practicing, bit-by-bit, with the burning typhoon to see just how much air vs. fire was okay before the explosion thing happened, or before she burnt her hand.

But every night she'd pass out, exhausted, as he managed to somehow keep going. Sometimes she suspected he took naps while she wasn't watching, but she knew Naruto better than that. His determination kept him wide-awake, even if he did slow down day by day.

Of course, she took her steps to perfecting the burning typhoon as well. She had to start with much less chakra when adding the flame, which started out with the spirals she left on trees being charred but not much damage beyond the normal premature form of the rasengan. Once she got her starting point she started moving it up, looking for the ripping, burning-boar effect she'd gotten from the first time she used it... without the danger to her hand.

Day four she had gotten close, with a whole area of the tree shaved and charred off, a flame taking hold in the middle of the area that she and Naruto quickly put out lest it light the other trees on fire.

Day five both he and she felt the deadline of Tsunade's bet pressing on their necks. Oh, true, Loor wasn't part of that bet, but she wanted to impress the others.

Naruto was beyond passionate that day... he didn't wait for the dust to clear between attempts, just bellowing and hitting it again. He had become a boy obsessed, not even wanting to talk that day, completely focused on his training.

And the spirals had become so small... so close to converging into just one hole carved into the tree.

He was close.

Loor never said a word about Kabuto. She couldn't... Naruto would never believe her. He thought Kabuto was his friend. Loor really hoped he wouldn't have find out the hard way that the truth was different. She knew how Naruto would trust blindly... she didn't want to see him hurt.

Still, as the sun set on the fifth day, she wondered if she should tell him. Kabuto and Orochimaru were obviously hanging around Tanzaku for a while, or else Kabuto wouldn't have warned her about entering the city by herself... and she was pretty sure they weren't waiting for her.

No. They were waiting for something else, and knowing how both she and Naruto tended to be trouble magnets she had to wonder if they were going to get mixed up in it.

But personally, she looked forward to that. Orochimaru was wounded. She looked upon this as her chance to take him out. If he couldn't use his arms then he couldn't use any jutsu at all...

She looked upon this as her chance to take him on... and take him down.

On the fifth day, as the sun set, Loor perfected that move. It didn't explode anymore, but would burn a hole right through a tree... if she kept it in control, which took effort up the yin-yang. Creating fire was one thing. _Controlling_ fire was a whole 'nother ball game. It was the only way to keep the explosion from happening though, and she had a few more minor burns on her fingers from times she had failed. If the fire got out of hand or entered the center of the sphere the explosion happened, which meant the structure had to be maintained even during and after impact.

That had been the problem the first time. She didn't know what happened when fire hit the center of the ball, and found out the hard way.

Upon perfection of the burning typhoon Loor sat aside to watch Naruto as each of his attempts became more fevered. It was interesting to see; how hard he could push himself. She had to wonder how much his hand hurt now, but was sure he didn't care.

He just kept shredding trees.

Loor felt herself getting antsy as the sun faded and the sky went dark. The moon cast heavy shadows, as it was nearly full, and Naruto kept disappearing in clouds of dirt, dust, and wood shards. She wanted to keep her eyes on him, but at the same time could feel herself dozing off, biting her lip to wake herself up again. She didn't know why, but she felt as if someone was watching her and Naruto...

She tried to shake it off. Kabuto said he'd only make a move if she went into the city alone. He wasn't going to come and try to take her now... not with Naruto with her. She'd fought Kabuto before, back in Konoha. The guy was a weakling. Perhaps if he had gotten the drop on her he'd be able to beat her... but both herself and Naruto? Keh, Kabuto wouldn't stand a chance.

She had to wonder why Orochimaru had Kabuto as a subordinate if the silver haired teen was so weak. Perhaps it was just the fact that Kabuto could do medical jutsu, like a doctor to follow him around all the time.

Loor was brought out of her thoughts as she heard a dull thud, like someone falling and landing hard on the ground.

"_Nii-san?" _ She questioned at once, getting to her feet. She expected that he had finally passed out after being the living piss out of himself for the past week. Her eyes strained against the dust cloud that had been kicked up on his last attempt. "_Nii-san, _ you okay?" she asked again, treading forward.

The dust began to clear. She was right. He was sprawled on the ground, his chest heaving but his eyes closed. She yawned as she walked towards him, looking down at him when she got to him.

He looked like shit to be honest. His eyes had started showing the black shading he deserved from staying up so long, his cheeks flushed for now but the rest of his body pale and shaking slightly from how little he'd eaten in the past week. He'd send clones for food now and then, but she often ended up finishing his meals for him because he hadn't the patience to eat with his hands, which shook violently.

She bent to him, shrugging her coat up against the chill of the night and zipping up his for him, as he was wearing it but it was open.

"Are you going to bring him back to the hotel now?"

Loor whipped around, taking a protective stance over Naruto, placing one foot on either side of him to stand directly over him. Her eyes scanned at first and eventually landed on a dark haired person a few yards away. She had to squint at first, but the person was coming closer. Once close enough, Loor knew who she was.

"Shizune." Loor addressed, taking a bit to remember the dark haired woman's name. "How long have you been standing there?"

"I was wondering how Naruto-kun was doing." Shizune's dark brown eyes had focused on the blond boy between Loor's feet. She had TonTon with her, which was probably how she found the place again. "I... I had no idea he was pushing himself so hard."

"Yeah... he doesn't know when to quit."

"You don't either." Shizune smiled slightly. "I was here last night too. You passed out while he kept going all night long." She shook her head, coming closer. "But he doesn't look good. If we leave him out here he could get sick." She looked at Loor with pleading eyes. "Please, help me bring him back to the hotel."

Loor looked down at Naruto. It was true... he looked very worn out, and that was a great way to get sick.

She slowly nodded. Shizune put TonTon down, attaching the pig's leash to her wrist before she and Loor bent to pick Naruto up by his arms, able to carry him like that with his arms slung over their shoulders. His feet drug on the ground a little, but it didn't slow them down too badly. Loor thought getting up that steep slope to enter the city was going to be the tough part, but it turned out Shizune knew a way to the city gate just by walking on a foot path that led off from the area she and Naruto had used to train.

Keh... that would have been nice to know about a few days ago.

Loor looked back as they walked, wondering how far Naruto got before he passed out.

Alas, by the time she looked back the trees were already out of sight.

* * *

"Well, well, well... you two know how to mess yourselves up."

Loor sighed. Finally, she was back in the hotel room. Shizune had tucked Naruto into the bed Loor _should_ have been sleeping had she not been training with him.

Even at this hour, Jiraiya was not there, so the other bed was empty, and Loor was sitting on the edge of it, looking up at the blond examining her.

"Just tell me how to take care of myself, Tsunade." Loor growled at the mocking tone in the elder woman's voice. "And Naruto... is he gonna be alright?"

Shizune had brought Tsunade to the room, seeing as the woman was a great doctor... even if the old lady had an attitude problem.

Tsunade shrugged, standing straight. "Well... my advice to you is to stop playing with fire for about a week. You've got burns all over your right hand, though they're all minor. Besides _that_ type of burning, your hand is also chakra burnt."

"Chakra burnt?" Loor questioned, looking at her hand and flexing it. "What's that mean?"

"It's why it's shaking. Your chakra network, which you use to move chakra around your body, is like a muscle. Work it so hard, it hurts. Work it hard enough, you'll actually damage something. If you hold off for a few days on all jutsu based in your right hand the shaking should stop though, and the pain will go away. Aside from that... you just need a good night's rest." Tsunade turned her chocolate brown gaze upon Naruto, who was sleeping. "Your friend here, on the other hand... he's suffering exhaustion. He's gonna need a week of bed rest at the least."

"No way he's gonna stay in bed." Loor speculated. "The second he wakes up... its like trying to pin down a cloud."

"He probably won't wake up for a day or two." Tsunade muttered. She had stopped looking at Naruto, her eyes falling to the floor. "You'd be wise to get some rest, Loor."

Shizune tensed. Loor felt it. TonTon, in the black haired woman's arms, gave an irate squeal.

Tsunade was looking at her. Their eyes met, the elder blond's eyes like molten copper against Loor's electric blues as the realization struck that what Tsunade was about to do marked her as a type of traitor.

Loor spotted Tsunade's left hand, glowing slightly, reaching for her forehead.

"This is about Orochimaru... isn't it?" Loor questioned, her body going rigid as all of her muscles prepared to respond to any sudden demand.

"This?" Tsunade glanced at her own hand. "This is about _me." _

Shizune yelped and went to her knees as Tsunade suddenly leapt at Loor, the younger blond rolling onto her back on the bed she'd been seated upon, throwing her weight up and back as she came upon her shoulders, becoming air born for a second before landing on her feet on the other side of the bed and dodging to the side, panting.

Loor didn't have the energy for this. Tsunade was right in front of her again, making her back off into the main of the room.

"Tsunade-sama, stop this!" Shizune gave, panicking. "Don't go through with this!"

"Go through with what?" Loor gasped before ducking out of the way of Tsunade's hand, rolling to the space between the beds and vaulting over Naruto's sleeping form before realizing she'd cornered herself. "What is going on here, Shizune?"

"Tsunade made a deal with--"

"Shizune!" Tsunade barked, standing behind her aid's crumpled form, glaring down.

The black haired woman looked up, biting her lip. Tsunade's burning eyes dared her to be defiant.

"Orochimaru." She said, looking up. "She made a deal with Orochimaru and needs two--"

"You need to sleep." Tsunade cut her off by using the sleeping jutsu gathered at her hand on Shizune, ignoring TonTon as he protested Shizune's body collapsing onto his. Tsunade left Shizune there on the floor, approaching Loor with a hunter's gaze.

Loor was beyond fazed. She was shocked, viewing Tsunade's insanity first hand as the woman drew up the few steps between them. The jutsu flared at her hand again, ready to put Loor in the same condition that Shizune was in.

"Where's Jiraiya?" Loor questioned, as if it was a last request.

Tsunade's hand was inches from her head, her other arm on the wall to keep Loor in her corner.

"Drugged up at a bar." Tsunade answered, putting her hand on Loor's head. "Good bye."

* * *

There was something satisfying about where I ended that chapter… XP

**No ownage.**

Reviews are awesome!


	40. Doctors

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Forty- Doctors**

As Loor woke up she decided she _really_ didn't like doctors, seeing as Tsunade technically was one. Using a jutsu was that was probably used for knocking patients out before surgery on a kid and her own aid--

Wait a minuet!

Loor shot up from where she'd fallen on the floor, looking around quickly, disoriented and groggy.

Daylight streamed into the room. She groaned softly, rubbing her head and seeing that Naruto was still sound asleep and Shizune was still knocked out, TonTon lying next to her head like a concerned parent... or worried pet. Take your pick.

Where did Tsunade go?

Loor had to think. She had to think. If she just jumped out the window on a random conclusion, she was likely to get into something sticky.

_She made a deal with Orochimaru... and she needed... damn it why did she have to cut Shizune off at a homophone?! Either she needs two of something or she needs to do something. _

_**She needs two or she needs to. Which is it? ** _

_  
Which makes more sense for what she's done? It's obvious she doesn't want anyone to interfere with what she's doing... she mentioned Jiraiya was drugged up. _

_**Probably slipped him something. She's a doc. She'd probably know of a medicine that the perverted guy wouldn't notice. ** _

_Yeah... or something like that. _

Loor shook her head slightly, looking at the open window.

Speaking of jumping out of windows...

There had to be something she could do... it was the crack of dawn, the city still quiet for the most part. For now, she could probably go out...

_**Looks like the only way you're gonna get answers is if you find them yourself, girly. ** _

Slowly... Loor nodded to agree with Lyra, throwing herself out of the window to land a floor down on the ground, feeling a bit better than she had the day before. Even if she had been knocked out it would seem she'd gotten a bit of rest.

She had to find Tsunade... but where would the blond lady be?

Where would Tsunade go on her one-week deadline, the deadline from the bet she made with Naruto?

"_She made a deal with Orochimaru and needs two--"_

Or was it to?

Loor shook her head again, thinking.

What had happened one week ago? Aside from the deal with Naruto?

_The destruction of the castle, of course! On the day we arrived, the people the in the city said that the castle in the city had been crushed by a giant snake._

That had been the initial meeting. Loor should have seen it sooner... or should have gone and seen the castle herself, as she had no idea where the thing was.

She tried to shrug that off, kicking the ground as she picked a street and got moving.

She did her best not to notice as more people entered the streets... but couldn't help it. She noticed it, more and more, feeling her hands shaking and her palms sweating. Instantly her frenzied run took to back alleys and places where there were less people and incidentally more rats. She still had to throw herself through busy lanes to keep the direction she was going, diving from on back road to another, and those moments where she was exposed to sun and people nearly made her falter and fall as she made herself keep moving.

She just had to move.

She had to not see the people.

She closed her eyes.

It was a daring move, and she replaced her eyes with only her sense of hearing and touch. It meant when she went through the busy streets she plowed through a few people, but it was better than becoming frozen from the crush.

But she still had no idea where the castle had been. Not the foggiest clue.

She could have asked someone... could she survive on the edge of a street for that long? To stop and ask someone directions? Would she be able to kick off and move again?

She had to try.

In one of the alleys she slowed to a walk, panting and glancing around. She was thoroughly lost, she realized, which didn't help her deteriorating mental condition. Her body was twitching here and there, and she couldn't stay focused on one object before her eyes jerked over to something else. She had grabbed her elbows to cross her arms over her chest, compacting in on herself as if to make herself less noticeable.

Forward. Move forward.

One step.

Two.

Three.

"Are you really claustrophobic?"

Frozen.

She couldn't even turn around. The jolt ran up her spine that caused her to lock up, shaking violently as she recognized the voice behind her.

"I think you fear something else, Loor." She heard the steps behind her, the arrogance in his voice.

_Move. C'mon Loor. Just turn around. See him. Feel rage. Get angry. Break free. _

"You should have let Naruto say it. I could see it when you insisted that he waited for you."

He had gotten in front of her, where she could see him.

"K-K-Kabuto..." She fought her teeth gritting together, lifting her gaze to see the tall boy properly.

"You don't fear tight spaces, Loor. You enjoy the woods at their most tangled and compacted." Kabuto was smirking, leaning down to her height. "You fear the city. Urbophobic. The bigger they are, the more frightened you get. You can't walk alone in a city, can you? No..." He grinned. "You freeze."

She blinked at him, as if to say 'tell me something I don't know.'

"Th... the d-d-deal..." She stuttered and struggled out. "What... what is the...?"

Kabuto stood straight, as if he had suddenly remembered. "You're right. If we don't move quickly we'll be late to see it." He grabbed her suddenly around her stomach, as if she weighed nothing, and kicked off for the rooftops. "Tsunade should be arriving soon."

She was a rag doll. Waves of hot and cold hit her as she tried to move but failed.

But... he was...

_**He's taking you to Tsunade. He's taking you to the answers. Just wait, Loor. Wait. ** _

_...wait..._

How could Kabuto carry her like this though? He was... weak, to her experience with him.

But if he was really a Sound nin disguised as a Konoha shinobi, could it be that he had been pretending to be a weakling?

It was possible.

Kabuto knew where he was going, so it was a short trip to the castle ruins. There were various lanes that circled where the castle used to be, lanes defined by walls that were like a maze around what was probably a magnificent structure but was now just a crushed building.

Kabuto walked atop these walls, looking for one lane. Looking for once place.

Looking for the meeting place.

By the time they made it Loor's nervous reactions were gone. Her fear had become less and less as they had left the people and tall buildings behind. Now she was just playing possum, waiting for her chance, the opportune moment.

She wanted to see Orochimaru in his weakened form. She wanted to attack him while he was in such a way.

Her back reminded her that she wasn't carrying Ryu. She'd face him without a weapon. Ryu was back at the hotel room.

But he was weak. She could get him.

She could kill him. She had to.

Kabuto stopped on top of one of the walls, looking down upon the scene that apparently he was eager to see. He put Loor down, getting her to stand as she still practiced being a rag doll, still pretending to be terrified.

Below in the lane, on the dirt road between the walls, was Tsunade.

About fifteen feet away from her... was Orochimaru. It was the first time Loor had seen him up close since he had given her the curse mark, but he looked just about the same. Near white skin and yellow snake-like eyes, locked upon Tsunade as if she were his next meal, purple shading around his eyes and oil black hair hanging down to his middle back, batted by a breeze that moved through the lane, kicking up dust and Tsunade's green over coat.

But Loor noticed more than that. His arms hung on him as if they were dead, his hands visible at the end of his long black sleeves, covered with bandages.

She could sense it. Something... was seriously wrong with him.

"_Sarutobi did know how to mess a person up. Orochimaru is a walking dead man at this rate."_

He looked like it.

Neither of the Sannin seemed to take notice as she and Kabuto arrived, too focused upon each other.

"Orochimaru!" Tsunade addressed. "I accept your deal... on one condition."

"Condition...?" Orochimaru gave back, looking surprised. "What would that be?"

Tsunade stared at him, brown eyes locked on his yellow ones. She stood tall, glaring at him. "I have prepared everything for you to hold up your end of the deal. Jiraiya is drugged... and his apprentice is incapacitated for the time being. It's just a matter of getting them. I will cure your arms..."

Loor stiffened. Two people. That's what Tsunade needed?! What for?

_Cure his arms?! No!_

She bit her inner lip as a reminder to be playing terrified. It wasn't time to move just yet.

"But don't lay a finger on the village."

The two teammates stared at each other as Orochimaru seemed to be mulling over Tsunade's condition.

"You have my word." He finally said. "Heal me, and I will not touch Konoha or a single person in it." He smirked. "And I will use the sacrifices to bring back your brother and your boyfriend."

Loor felt a shock run up her spine.

_Sacrifices. _

_Her brother and her boyfriend. Nawaki and Dan. _

_In exchange for Jiraiya and Naruto. _

Loor didn't doubt that Orochimaru could do such a thing. If it was possible to create a jutsu able to take one life and bring back another, Orochimaru was surly the person to create such a thing.

"Very well." Tsunade gave, walking forward. "Let's get this over with."

Orochimaru also walked forward, the two meeting in the middle. Kabuto and Loor both watched, nearly holding their breaths.

_Attack right before she touches him. Stop the healing, surprise him._

Tsunade's hands started to glow green. Orochimaru managed to bend his arms at the elbow to hold them out to her, completely exposed and relaxed. He was a sitting duck!

She tensed. The opportune moment...

Kabuto gasped.

His hand shot to the weapons pouch on his leg and pulled out four silver needles, throwing them at Tsunade before she could touch Orochimaru.

Tsunade threw herself out of the way, backwards from Orochimaru. Both Sannin looked up at Kabuto, confused and startled.

Under Orochimaru's gaze Loor went lax again, pretending to be scared once more.

"Kabuto!" Orochimaru barked. "What sort of treachery is this?!"

"She was going to kill you." Kabuto stated, tensed into a battle posture, glaring at Tsunade. "Had you been concentrating you would have been able to sense it... the means to kill in her chakra."

Loor looked at Tsunade in shock.

Tsunade seemed shocked with herself.

She had changed her mind at the last second.

Orochimaru stared at his old partner. "Tsunade... I thought you wanted to see Nawaki and Dan again."

Tsunade's gaze was suddenly on fire, her chocolate browns changing to liquid bronze as she squared off against her former teammate. "You lied about not touching the village. You hate lying so much... and you're horrid at doing it. Nawaki and Dan are dead! It's like you said, _Jaaku." _

She punctuated this sentence with slamming her fist into the wall beside her, her monster strength causing it to crack, crumble, and leave a huge empty spot with rubble on the ground and dust floating through the air. As she went to relax her arm, she threw her green over coat off, letting the wind take it over the rubble into the other lane next to them.

Orochimaru looked like he was preparing to run, Kabuto grabbing Loor again and coming down to be next to his master. Loor imagined how easy it would have been to attack Orochimaru at this range... but with Kabuto right beside her she dare not risk it.

"All things with form eventually parish." Tsunade now smirked at her old teammate. "That includes you."

At this point Tsunade seemed to finally notice Loor.

"What do you want with her?" The elder blond lady asked.

"She has... potential." Orochimaru smirked at Tsunade. "I've marked her... and I thought now would be good time as any to take what I've marked as mine."

"Yours?!"

Loor couldn't wait anymore.

"What do you mean, you son of a bitch?!" She bellowed at him, hopping away from Kabuto and in front of Orochimaru, to look him in the face. "I don't belong to you! I belong to no one!"

"That mark on your shoulder says different, _Koishi." _ Orochimaru teased her, using the word for loved one. He was grinning, snake like fangs showing in his smile.

That made her stomach twist. She roared at him in pure rage, rearing a fist back and aiming for his face.

Kabuto got in front of his master, catching her fist and returning one to her stomach.

She felt as if her stomach and lungs were going to eject out of her mouth. Kabuto had been faking! He was much stronger than he had posed himself when she last fought him.

"Marked or not..." Kabuto snarled as Loor flew back from his master. "I can't let you do that."

Loor landed hard on her back, sliding before she kicked her legs up to roll over her shoulders and recover to her feet, standing closer to Tsunade than she was to Orochimaru. She felt like an object that had suddenly changed hands as Tsunade drew protectively closer to her.

"Why did you do it, you bastard!?" Loor shouted at the object of her torment around his manservant. "Answer me that! Why the hell would you mark me? When you know that I want to kill you, that I'd never follow you!"

Orochimaru and Kabuto glanced at each other, and Orochimaru gave a grin of poison. "Follow us... and I might tell you."

With that the two turned tail and took off down the lane, jumping the walls when the lane ended.

Loor took off at once, bellowing and digging her toes into the ground.

She was instantly pulled back by the hood of her coat.

"Hold it, kiddo." Tsunade gave. "Ever think that he kinda _wants_ you to follow him?"

"I don't give a shit!" Loor snarled, not looking at the lady holding her as she flicked down the zipper of her coat and dug her toes in again.

Tsunade wasn't going to stop her from getting answers or from getting revenge.

Her blood boiled for Orochimaru's to be spilled.

* * *

Heh sorry for the delays on that one… I've got a real life next to this and when things get busy my updating schedule tends to take a back seat. . I DO have a birthday party coming up…

And a drivers test.

God why does everything have to happen in the same week?!

Oh well. Another apology for this chapter being kinda short, its only 2,500 words. I usually go over 3,000.

**I own nothing.**

Review and I won't run you over when I get my license.


	41. The Beast

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Forty One- The Beast**

Remember that Loor had forced herself to think before she went after Tsunade?

She didn't think when she went after Orochimaru. All of her IQ, logic, and reason, (which in a game of shogi could probably give the genius Shikamaru a run for his money) all went flying out the window as her emotions took over. Everything shut down as rage coursed through her, eyes locked upon her quarry, feeling as if she had become a beast.

In her mind, she had.

Where her target was going, she had little idea, but it was out of the city. Not on a road, far from the buildings, through the plains that the fire country was built on when the mountains and woods didn't tower over the man made areas.

She burned for a fight. She pushed harder, as if she could catch them and stop what seemed to be a getaway, and pummel answers out of them.

"OROCHIMARU!!"

That wasn't her bellow. That was a different voice, also female, but not hers.

Tsunade was behind her, also in hot pursuit.

* * *

"Lee-San?"

The boy looked up. He had been sleeping, and awoke from a midday nap several moments ago to the sun from his window shining in his eyes. Now he faced his door, seeing someone entering.

"Fury-Chan." He greeted the girl standing in his door. She held the basket Ino and Choji had given her as a get well present. "What brings you here?"

"Kiba got stuck training late with his team..." Fury smiled a bit. "And since your team is doing a mission I got the day off of training, so I thought I'd come down here and spend lunch with you. You mentioned the other day that you get lonely here." She closed the door behind herself, a bright smile on her face.

It was much different that the power hungry look she'd had about a week ago. Lee could almost convince himself that the cheery, innocent, kind Fury was back.

But her gait had changed. Fury used to walk with well-measured steps with her feet close together, like the shy girl on Kiba's team, Hinata. It was as if she was constantly trying not to step on imaginary feet. As Fury walked to his bedside and pulled a chair up her stride was bold, almost proud.

"That is very kind of you." He said, leaning back in his bed as she lifted the basket up and placed it on the end, near his knees.

"Well... I don't like eating alone." She shrugged, reaching into the basket and drawing out a pair of chopsticks for him, then a set for herself, setting out a few boxes of assorted veggies and cooked meats. "But I couldn't let a meal go to waste just because Kiba took extra time training to start giving Schizo the basics on being a ninja dog."

"Why are you not there with him?" Lee quickly questioned. If was her dog. She should have been helping in the training.

"I..." She bit her lip. "Okay, I wanted to ask you a few questions. Call it a cheat sheet or whatever... but you've fought Loor, right? I mean, had serious sparring matches with her and everything? I wanted to know what you know so I'm ready when she comes back."

Lee started eating. He should have expected as much. "When I fought her... it was when she was just beginning training, back when she had only power and no speed, no jutsu but much raw strength... and her emotions powered it all. I have heard from others that if she ever used her head in a fight the person she was fighting would be doomed, but she does not. Now, with the leg weights I have given her she should have power and speed, and her jutsu has improved since I have been her sensei... and I am sure she still has all of her raw power, if not more of it." He sighed. "You picked no easy test, Fury. Even I could have trouble fighting her now... though my poor condition is to blame. Before the chunnin exams, I am sure even her current state would be easy to fight as long as she was fighting with her heart."

"I thought you were supposed to fight with your heart." She reasoned, beginning to eat with her chopsticks.

"Who told you that?" He asked, sitting up a bit more in his bed for less risk of choking while eating.

She thought for a moment, her jade eyes sparking a little in the light. "Loor. She told me most of my major things for fights." A little of her silver hair fell, curtaining half of her face. "She said that if you fight without your heart in it, you're doomed."

"She is right. Passion for fighting, for asserting yourself, is needed. But she fights with her heart alone, and a heart without a head cannot beat. It causes her to make stupid mistakes, as her passion carries her to only want to draw close to her target and hit them like one would in a bar brawl. It takes a person who can think about strengths and weaknesses in a fight to win."

"She's been winning fights since she was a little girl." Fury's eyes narrowed, watching the boxes slowly empty. "You could call it her reason her being alive, the rush of battle makes her so happy. Back at home... there are some people that would avoid her at all costs because of her need for violence, and others that found it funny to taunt her... though they eventually became the other type of people when Loor got a hold of them. She's won all of those fights on her passion."

"You said there are no shinobi in your world, Fury."

She felt a jolt run up her back before she remembered. She'd told Kiba and Lee everything. How could she had forgotten?

Well, it had been a month and some since that conversation.

"In a world without shinobi, where Loor was training herself for a fight she would never have... I can imagine she could win on passion because she had nothing else, and the fights she got into were probably with those without know-how."

There was a pause.

"Strange." Lee gave to himself. "That means I've fallen in love with a thug. A bully. A brute."

"A bully?" Fury questioned, becoming slightly offended. "My sister was no such thing. She almost never picked fights, and if she did it was because someone else was bullying someone she cared about!"

"She still fought those ill fitted to the challenge, took on the weak when they could have been handled by the authorities or by words." His face became stern as he laid his chopsticks aside, the boxes empty. "When she returns I will inform her that no student of mine will continue such behavior, even if you two _do_ go home."

She stared at him for several moments before sighing and picking up the boxes, putting them back in her basket, reaching further back in the basket to draw out a thermos of tea. The restaurant she'd gotten the food at had been so kind as to borrow her the thermos. She and Kiba were regulars there, so they knew her. In moments she'd also drawn out two cups and served herself and Lee, putting the thermos away.

"A few of them deserved it." Fury muttered into her cup.

"Which ones, the ones she defended you from?"

"She--" Fury wanted to say she didn't need defending, that she could have fought all of those that attacked her either emotionally or physically, but she couldn't. She'd talk about it when she felt her rage, the horrible things she'd love to do to those who made fun of her... but she never made good on it. She'd just...

Think about it.

"I think you understand now." He gave, sipping his tea. "Perhaps you should take notes, like I do." He smiled. "Gai sensei says so many useful things, I always carry a notebook."

She sipped her own tea. She never had a taste for it back at home, but had found a few types she liked since arriving in Konoha. "You take notes on your sensei? That's a tad creepy."

"It makes him proud that I always try so hard!" He sat up a bit more in bed, fire in his gaze. "It is a way of mixing head with heart, passion with thought. Gai and I understand having much passion, being hot blooded, and that our passionate efforts mixed with the proper knowing will bring us victory."

"You're creepy..." Fury murmured into her cup. "Not even related to your sensei and you look just like him..."

"What was that, Fury-chan?"

"Nothing, nothing." She drained her cup, putting it down on his end table. "It's just... you really adore your sensei, don't you?"

"Gai sensei was the first person to believe in my dream." He drained his own cup, putting it next to hers. "He has devoted his life to making my dreams of being a splendid shinobi come true, so much that my dreams have become his dreams. If that is not reason to love, respect, and emulate him... I have no idea what is."

"Wow." Fury frowned at herself. As weird as it was that Gai and Lee were so close, it made sense... and she almost felt bad for saying what she had. "Do all sensei try to do that? Devote themselves to their students?"

"Many do, and all should." Lee's fire died down as he looked at his crutch leaning on the wall. "When I am finally free of my injury, I had hoped to do the same for Loor, as it is what Gai expected of me... to find a student and devote myself to them, but the longer I stay in this hospital the more likely it is that she will take on a new sensei as her main."

"I doubt it." Fury said before she could stop herself.

"Hm?"

"Lee... I know Loor. As confused as she gets about herself I can say that she cares too much about you to pick someone else. She may tell herself that she doesn't need her emotions, but that's what leads to her explosions. As much as she tries to convince herself that she's a lone wolf she gets attached to people quickly, and once attached she has a horrible time letting go."

"She would not need to let go of me to take on a different sensei. You make it sound like she must love her teacher."

"She wouldn't listen to you otherwise."

He stared for a moment. "But, she..." he frowned, looking sad now. "I am not suited to be her teacher. Sensei are not supposed to love their student in that manner."

"Yeah, I guess..." Fury also gained the dejected look. She felt bad for making him go back to the place that probably told him his was always going to be second best to Gaara. He lost in the chunnins against him, and lost in the fight for Loor's desires.

Silence.

_Chink!_

Both Lee and Fury glanced at the end table, at their cups. "Hm?"

Both teacups had cracked down the side.

Fury blinked. "What in the world...?"

"It is a bad omen." Lee answered. "Usually a bad omen for someone you know, and are close to."

The two looked at each other.

_Loor. _

* * *

They had stopped.

It was the middle of nowhere, all flat land with long grass growing out of it. There were no trees, no outstanding brush, just grass. The city was far behind them, hard country everywhere around them.

Orochimaru and Kabuto stood facing the two girls that had followed them.

"Tsunade..." Orochimaru addressed one. "If I didn't know better, I would say you had a daughter over the years... even if she bloomed earlier than you did."

Tsunade flared at the comment, but Loor's the one who jumped at the baiting. There were a few yards between them, and Loor's steps shortened it to a few feet before Kabuto stepped forward to intercept her. The two didn't throw fists, they just glared at each other.

"You snake." She snarled at him. "I knew you were bad news all along... and you flirting and hanging around my little sister..." She snorted. "It makes me sick."

"You should have jumped faster, Loor. Had you assumed I was the accomplice to your family's death all along, you might not have ended up in the chunnin exams." He grinned. "Here's a little secret I erased from your memory... _I _ kidnapped you on the day of the chunnins and carried you into the Forest of Death."

She didn't stare. She didn't twitch.

She attacked.

With a roar she threw herself forward, fist first, her anger burning brighter as he blocked her and gave her a hit to match. She didn't think to block, and didn't feel it as his fist hit home. She grabbed the fist planted in her stomach and used it as leverage to bring her foot across his face.

That hit. His glasses were knocked askew, and they both backed off as he adjusted them on his nose.

His taijutsu, hand-to-hand combat, sucked. He was trying to intimidate her by meeting her challenge, but she'd found a weakness. All of his strength was probably in advanced ninjutsu.

"You know something else, Loor?" He dared to say.

She felt the urge to charge again, all of the muscles in her shoulders taught, standing on the front of her feet, toes curling around the end of her shoe as if attempting to find and cling to the ground.

"The day before the chunnin finals, I followed you and your boyfriend. I saw everything. When he took you home, I followed. You're too easy to kidnap, dear girl. A two-bit criminal could have done it. The day of the finals you found yourself out by the wall, didn't you?"

She stared. He'd seen everything? But, that was the night...

That was the night she admitted to Gaara that she loved him. That was the night they made the fire burst technique, and then...

She'd woken up by the wall. She had assumed that Gaara did it, trying to keep her away from the chunnin finals to protect her.

But no. It was Kabuto, trying to keep her out of the way.

Tsunade watched as Loor charged again, almost screaming.

Loor's family was dead? Thanks to these two? That's what Kabuto said, that he was an accomplice in killing Loor's family, and there was only one person that Kabuto would be an accomplice to.

No wonder the girl hated Orochimaru so much. She was thirteen and had the most important people in her life taken away, probably for no reason.

She was an orphan, a shinobi in training for the last three months.

She watched as Kabuto was handling the girl by constantly ducking out of the way. She was quick, but some of her movements were wasted. It was obvious that she was a novice, but Tsunade knew a few chunnin who couldn't fight like that.

It was just all the anger the poor girl had in her eyes. It blinded her.

It'd be the death of her if all she went after Orochimaru with was pure passion.

Speaking of...

Tsunade looked at Orochimaru, who seemed rather entertained by the girl's efforts.

He also looked wide open with his manservant occupied.

She charged him. "Orochimaru!!"

He looked up, probably suddenly realizing his sitting duck position. He stared at her as she ran for him, flipping back as she slammed a fist into the ground where he had been standing, the earth cracking and shifting around her fist as she used the power she exerted below her to throw herself into the air, landing on her left foot and hitting the ground with her right heel, causing another fair sized crater.

Orochimaru had dodged twice, but his condition was bothering him. He stood at the edge of the cracked earth, watching her, his near white face showing with dashes of color in the cheeks, a slight shine of sweat on his forehead. He still had a fever, he was still sick from the death in his arms.

She glared at him. He should have just given up his ambition and amputated the damned things.

"Why are you fighting me, Tsunade?" He asked with a sudden smirk. "We both know what will happen the second I let you strike blood."

She glared at him. "Only human blood gets me." She shot forward again. "You're too much of a snake to count!"

"Blood?" Loor questioned, almost looking over at the adults in a break in the bout between herself and Kabuto. He was a fast little so and so, she'd give him that. He'd managed to avoid almost all of her hits, but the ones he had taken were tough body blows that'd effect him later on if this became an endurance trial.

This time he kicked her upside the head for getting distracted. It made her take several steps back, grabbing her jaw and looking back at him, growling.

"Yes, blood." Kabuto grinned. "She's hemophobic, and just like when you're in a city you freeze and shake, when she sees blood she does the same... all that's needed is for one of us to bleed, and we can capture her and force her to heal Orochimaru-sama's arms."

Sick.

"What will you do with her after that?!" Loor snarled, abandoning the pain in her jaw and lashing forward, batting his block out of the way and grabbing his forearm, twisting it to throw him to the ground.

She was tempted to free her curse for this. Tempted.

He rolled backwards over his shoulders to recover to his feet, quick to keep a few feet between them. "Kill her. Had she taken Orochimaru's offer she might have lived, but since she changed her mind..." He shook his head with a smirk. "Such a pity... but she's not the only one we aim to capture."

He gave a hungry look to her, as if he were a starved wolf.

She was reminded that she herself was a target.

"You're not going to get either of us." Loor glared. "And if you do get me Orochimaru is gonna get a stab in the back in his sleep!"

She threw herself forward to Kabuto, drawing a kunai knife from the pouch on her leg.

She came with the full intention to kill him.

She was the beast.

* * *

Lmao, yes I used the cup thing from volume 28 of Naruto. XP It's the first book of Shippuden and the only Shippuden book I own, but it seems that Naruto loves the various Japanese superstisions that exsist, so I decided to use one. XP

Yeah... I'm freakin' dead after last night. Went to Valley Fair (for non USA, Minnasota residents it's a giant amusement park) and after screaming my head off on every roller coaster they had to provide I'm ready to go back to bed.

**No I don't own it. If I did, there'd be Lyra figureens in stores by now. **

Reviews make Loor happy.


	42. Monday

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Forty Two- Monday**

"Shizune-san...? Oi, Shizune-san!"

"Mmmng... uh... what...?"

Shizune woke up slowly, and instantly applied her hand to her head where a headache permeated. As she looked around she noticed she was on the floor of Lord Jiraiya's hotel room. A quick scan showed that Naruto was up, being the person that had woken her up, and TonTon was looking up at her.

Wait a second, Naruto was up. He wasn't supposed to be awake for a few more days at the least! What if Tsunade had taken Loor and Jiraiya and...?!

She turned to Naruto, grabbing him by his orange coat. "What day is it?!"

"Eh? Shizune-san, you're acting weird." Naruto stated.

"Just answer me, what day is it?!"

"It's Monday." He rubbed his head, easing her hands off and standing up. "Why?"

Shizune thought to herself, biting her lip. Monday. Thank goodness, it was the day that Orochimaru was going to demand his answer from Tsunade. They still had time.

But where did Loor go? Did she wake up earlier? No doubt she would have gone looking for Tsunade if she did wake up, looking for answers.

"Shizune-san?" Naruto offered her a hand to help her up. "What's wrong?"

She looked at him for a moment, then took his hand. "We need to find Loor and Jiraiya-sama. They could be in danger... but Naruto, Tsunade said you were suffering from exhaustion, that you wouldn't wake up for another five days at least. You look... well, ready for anything. How?"

"Hm?" He shrugged. "I've always healed fast. No matter how beaten up I get I just come rushing back the next day, believe it!"

She chuckled softly. Yes, he was all the way back to health if he was yipping 'believe it' again.

Suddenly, both Tsunade's aid and Jiraiya's apprentice looked over to the window. It was open, and a strange sound had just come in through it... like someone face planting on the eve just outside.

Shizune rushed over, sticking her head out of the window and looking to the right. "Jiraiya-sama!" She gave at once, seeing as it was said white haired man outside.

He was in horrible shape. He sat on the ledge that went all the way around the building on his knees, one hand on the ledge and the other on the wall. He was panting, as if just getting here was taking a great deal of effort.

Upon seeing Shizune he drew a kunai and threw it at her.

She yelped, drawing her head back inside.

"Sensei!" Naruto protested, running over to the window and jumping out onto the ledge himself. "What are you doing??"

"We've been set up!" Jiraiya snapped. "Where's Loor?"

"Not here." Naruto shrugged at first, then realized the magnitude of that statement. People were in the streets of the city now. If Loor went out for an early morning walk now she would have frozen on one of the streets by now, hugging herself and crushed into a corner. "Oh no, she wasn't here when I woke up... Where would she go?!"

"I might be able to answer that question."

Shizune had dared to stick her head out of the window again, holding TonTon to her chest.

"Shizune-san?" Naruto questioned, looking at her.

"I must confess... Tsunade has made a terrible deal with Orochimaru. I tried to tell Loor last night, and Tsunade knocked me out before I could." She stepped out of the window, onto the ledge, eying Jiraiya was warily as he was eying her. "She... Orochimaru wanted her to heal his arms after the damage the Hokage, may he rest in peace, did to him. In return, he was going to use a forbidden jutsu he created to bring back her little brother and her old boyfriend from the dead. For this technique though... you could say a property of exchange applies. To bring two people from the dead, he needed two people to kill."

Jiraiya cursed. "Which would be why Tsunade drugged me last night." He frowned. "She's smart... slipped a tasteless, odorless drug into my drink last night. My body hasn't been molding chakra... I'd have to say I'm operating at maybe thirty percent right now." He shook his head. "Either she was planning to use me as a sacrifice, or both of the kids and just wanted to keep me out of the way."

"Shizune-san, where was Tsunade going to meet Orochimaru?" Naruto questioned. "Loor might be there!"

"The castle. It's where our initial meeting took place."

"Then let's go!" The blond boy demanded. "Orochimaru could have already killed her!"

Jiraiya managed to hoist himself to his feet. "He won't take her as a sacrifice."

"How the heck do you know that, pervy-sage?!"

"Naruto, did you ever notice a strange bruise on the side of Loor's neck?" Jiraiya asked. "Orochimaru has marked her. He won't kill her... but he's probably aiming to capture her, and he'll probably be willing to rough her up a bit for the moment."

"...marked?" Naruto asked.

The strange mark on Loor's neck, that was like Sasuke's... Fury had one too, though it was a different shape.

Orochimaru had marked them?

"Jiraiya-sama, can you move?" Shizune asked, offering a hand to him. "We should move quickly."

"Yeah. I'll be fine." He stood straight. "Let's go."

The trio took off shortly after Naruto went back into the hotel room to grab Loor's weapon. Ryu could come in handy for her if they were going to fight. They took to the rooftops to get to the castle quickly, or at least what was left of it. Naruto made a point of getting ahead of the adults.

His fists were clenched, but his mind was also abuzz with worry.

Sasuke's mark... Naruto remembered it during the fight with Gaara when he was half transformed into Shukaku, during the invasion. It caused strange marks to go all over his skin, and Naruto could sense the power it gave him.

It caused one's senses to burn, as the energy was almost poisonous.

If Loor was infected with that same poison... Naruto had to wonder what the portion of Shukaku's chakra in her body was going to do the next time she allowed the mark to activate. Demons and curses were from the same energies...

That was a scary thought.

He didn't feel much better as Shizune took the lead and directed them to the meeting point. The wall lining the particular lane had a big hole in it, and both Tsunade's and Loor's coats were there.

"Well, Tsunade certainly has been here." Jiraiya said, noting the big hole in the wall. The three jumped down, and Shizune put TonTon on the ground, holding the pig's leash. "And by the looks of it... so was Loor."

Naruto ran over, recovering Loor's coat and hanging it on his head by the hood, holding Ryu still. He didn't mind it... he was too worried about her to mind. Aside, Shizune was picking up Tsunade's coat.

"She must have changed her mind." Shizune muttered. "And gone to fight him, but there's not enough room here." She looked at Jiraiya. "We have to find them."

He nodded. "The sooner the better."

"TonTon." Shizune gave, lowering Tsunade's coat to the pig's level. "C'mon, we gotta be quick." She said this while letting the pig off of the leash. He'd be faster if he didn't have it on him.

The pig took three careful whiffs before turning and taking off down the lane.

Everyone followed, Naruto at the head of the group.

* * *

"You know, Tsunade, you shouldn't be coming after me." Orochimaru gave as he evaded yet another one of Tsunade's monstrous shows of strength. He would slip up eventually, and that could prove fatal... which is why he had to divert her.

Thankfully, there was a perfect way of doing that.

"Why the hell not?!" She snapped at him, pausing in her offense to glare at him with molten bronze in her eyes. "You think I'll let you escape? I know you'd leave your servant behind if it meant a clean getaway."

"But I won't leave my other prize!" He gave, switching to offense himself, dashing forward. His arms hung, waving with his body as he shifted his weight between legs to always have one up to kick at her. He was quick, but she was equally quick at blocking. "Do you honestly think that little girl, the way she is, can stand up to Kabuto? Perhaps you should defend her before she finds herself bloodied and captured."

In those two seconds Tsunade glanced over to Loor, who had just taken a hit from Kabuto across her face, causing the girl to back up and hold her jaw.

But...

She felt indecision going through her, still staring as Loor and Kabuto faced off.

Loor had drawn a kunai. She was preparing to kill him.

Kabuto would have to stop playing with her and get serious.

"I can't imagine how easy it would be to capture her if she activated her curse mark to fight Kabuto." Orochimaru snickered behind her. "You know what it makes people do, Tsunade? If she uses the curse it will make her dance to whatever tune I order her to dance with. She'll be a puppet on strings, easy to send running from here to where ever I wanted her to run."

Tsunade disregarded her partner, diving in Kabuto's direction.

Orochimaru grinned. Perfect. He watched as the next few moves were executed as if rehearsed for a play, fluid and quick. Tsunade tried to get between Loor and Kabuto, where Kabuto stepped back and Loor stepped around the elder blond, brandishing her kunai forward, where Kabuto seemed to almost offer his forearm up to the blade.

Loor struck.

The blood spilled.

Kabuto threw his arm in an arc, the gash in his arm throwing blood onto Tsunade.

Loor suddenly ground to a halt, looking back at Tsunade as the woman stared at her hands. It was on her hands, her chest, her neck, and face. She stared at the drops as if they were acid, confused at first and then horrified.

She began to shake before falling to her knees.

"Not bad, Loor." Kabuto gave, smirking as the girl looked back at him. His glasses were also flecked with blood. "Though usually I know better than to block a kunai with my arm."

She growled at him. He was being sarcastic.

"Now then, to disable you."

Loor turned. Orochimaru had appeared behind her suddenly. She felt cornered, double teamed by her two worst enemies.

"You promised me answers, Orochimaru." She gave, trying to calm down. "Why did you mark me? Tell me!"

She said this while slipping a foot to one side. Both Kabuto and Orochimaru faced her from where they stood, allowing her to put them both in front of her.

"That's simple." Orochimaru gave. "I saw something in you, Loor. Something that not only needed power, but had the ability to become powerful. Perhaps as powerful as me, and not only that but I've already seen evidence to say you could gain this power quickly." He took a step to her, Kabuto acting as a mirror to keep close to his master. "Kabuto tells me you can manipulate people like he can, your mind is complex, your skull isn't thick, and you have an unstoppable need for power."

Orochimaru drew a long step, standing directly in front of her and not more than a few inches away, making her look up at him. "I'm offering you power, Loor. And you already accepted, or else that mark would have killed you when I gave it to you." He grinned. "With your help, and your sister's, the Sound village could take this world, and you could have a fair piece of it for helping me."

She did her best to stand her ground when faced with him, but it would seem the snake man was still able to make her nervous. The kunai in her hand dropped to the ground as she stared, lips parting to tell him to go to hell.

But her mind began to work.

Power. Power to manipulate, to rule, to _kill. _ He wanted the world, but she just wanted his head on a silver platter with all the fixings. Didn't he understand that, that she wanted him broken, bloodied, and dead? Perhaps he did understand it, but maybe he thought that by giving her the power necessary to do such a thing that she'd change her mind.

"Loor, do you want to know a secret?" Orochimaru asked, fangs showing in his demonic smile. "The jutsu necessary to get back to your world... Kakashi can't tell you how to do it. He may have done it once, but that eye of his only lets him copy techniques, not understand them. You're trapped here till _I _ tell you how to get home."

She made eye contact with him. He was rather intent on her, as if he were hunting... but he was also cocky.

Too cocky. She stared at him for a few moments, and then smirked.

"You're lying. Tsunade's right... you have a terrible poker face." This is when she drew a step to the side, away from Kabuto but keeping Orochimaru in front of her by facing him. "And as for your offer of power... I spit on it. Power is not yours to give, but mine to earn. I'm going to go home, Orochimaru, and one day I will track you down and kill you. That's not a threat." Her eyes sparked like the Chidori, a demonic grin passing over her face. "It's a promise."

Her hand had gone to the pouch on her leg, to draw out a second kunai out of the set of five she carried.

She leapt forward, the knife forward to strike.

Orochimaru dove to one side, Kabuto left to defend himself.

But he had no problem with that. He ducked below the blade in Loor's hand, kicking her back and hopping away from her, bringing his hands together.

She tensed. Several hand signs formed a charge he'd brought up all too quickly, a charge that caused his hands to glow like most medical jutsu would do.

She snarled, throwing her kunai at him in hopes that she could interrupt the process, but he was already done by the time he had to bat the weapon away.

She could feel something of the energy gathered in his hands. It may have been some type of medical jutsu... but it wasn't friendly.

Kabuto switched to offense, charging up to Loor. This surprised her. His taijutsu was near to no good, which would make someone wonder why he'd suddenly run up. Still, she took less time thinking and more time doing, throwing herself into the way of his charge and wheeling onto her hands, both feet kicking out for what she hoped would be a sure hit to his chest.

Her feet connected, but so did his hands. Before he was thrown back he made contact on her left calf and low on her right thigh.

She landed flat on her back as he landed on his butt several feet away. She felt rather strange where his hands had touched her, and she rolled to her stomach to get back to her feet.

She got onto her knees first, and found the back of her right leg, right above the knee, hurt like hell. When she attempted to get to her feet her left leg gave out thanks to a splitting pain in her lower left leg when she put her foot flat on the ground.

She fell onto her side, groaning and trying to get up again with the same results.

It felt like the muscles in her legs had been cut, gashed, damaged, in some manner.

She flopped about like a fish for a while as Kabuto got to his feet and came closer, his hands still aglow.

"You like it?" He asked, smirking as his glasses shined. "Its sort of a chakra scalpel, a way to cut things inside the body without disturbing the skin. A little thing I fashioned myself, and though it does make a great surgery tool... it's also a great way to disable a person."

He bent, touching the biceps in both of her arms, the major shoulder muscles, and then placing one hand on the left side of her chest.

The second the touch on her chest was made she felt herself struggling to breathe.

"Don't worry." He smirked. "A sleeping person only needs one lung... and with less oxygen you should be sleeping soon. I wouldn't fight it, you could endanger yourself by moving too much."

She stared at him, feeling like a rag doll. He had moved so quickly, she had hardly the time to resist, and now she couldn't even fight back!

Orochimaru walked up. "Put her by Tsunade." He commanded, Loor able to hear the smirk in his voice. She was beginning to feel light headed, like having a dizzy spell while lying down. It was so strange, as falling down usually happened _after_ a dizzy spell.

She felt Kabuto grab her shoulders, dragging her over to Tsunade, who was still on her knees. The woman was silent, shaking, terrified by the blood on her body. Kabuto took the time to drip a bit extra on her from the cut in his arm, as if for extra assurance.

Loor felt herself going. Kabuto was right, on one lung she wasn't going to be long for this world.

She felt the black taking over, senses dying as she labored for more air, trying to stay awake.

Through her flared nose she caught the smell of sulfur, and in her darkening vision she was sure she saw smoke.

Then, black.

* * *

Does anyone remember the smoke bomb, or has recently watched this arc? XP I don't think a lot of people remember that part of it, but thank god for notes! I didn't have to remember, just write it down.

Oh well.

**Loor owns nothing!**

Review please!


	43. The Fifth Hokage

**Markings- Middle Ground  
Chapter Forty Three- The Fifth Hokage**

The smoke that bomb marked their entrance had been Naruto's idea. It gave them three sulfur filled seconds to take a look around and see the situation before their enemy knew what was going on.

Three seconds to see Tsunade on the ground, to see Orochimaru standing away from them, to see Loor's crumpled form in the grass, and to see Kabuto smirking while standing over those disabled.

Kabuto?

Naruto stared at the teenager with glasses in shock. "Kabuto? What are you doing here?"

He took a step forward, but Jiraiya grabbed him. "Naruto, he's not your friend. Take a close look at his headband."

Naruto did as he was told, looking at Kabuto's headband, expecting to see what he always saw; the leaf symbol. His eyes said different though, because the leaf headband that Kabuto had worn before was a fake, something to make fools of others.

He wore his true symbol now. Engraved in Kabuto's headband was a musical note, the symbol for the Sound village.

Naruto felt the rug getting pulled out from under him. "But... but, Kabuto, you helped us during the chunnin exams!" He stared as the sliver haired spy smirked. "When my team got lost, you helped us find the tower! If not for you, me and Sasuke would have never made it to the finals! Beyond that, a bunch of shinobi from the Rain village woulda killed us if you hadn't been there!"

Kabuto finally spoke. "I was ordered to protect you. Sasuke had to survive for any of Orochimaru's future plans to work." He looked over at his master. "You could say Sasuke is going to carry on Orochimaru's dreams."

Naruto had to leave his mouth gaping, his eyes still not believing what he was seeing. Kabuto was a spy! Not only that, he was working for that damned Orochimaru!

And by the looks of it... he had also attacked Loor.

"Naruto, keep a hold on yourself." Jiraiya advised, standing behind both Shizune and his apprentice. "Keep an eye over Tsunade and Loor, protect them. We can't let Orochimaru take them. Shizune, take on four eyes. I'll take Orochimaru... I've got a score to settle."

"You'll take me on, old friend?" Orochimaru questioned as the group broke apart, Shizune confronting Kabuto so Naruto could go past him and start pulling Tsunade and Loor away from where all the action was going to take place.

Kabuto pulled back from Shizune, to stand by his master for a few moments.

"Kabuto, the left bandage." Orochimaru commanded. Instantly Kabuto did as he was told, removing the bandage on his master's left arm, pushing the black sleeve up and biting his own thumb to cause blood to well up.

Orochimaru's arm was a rotting purple-brown color, covered in black marks of the seal that kept his arms dead. Still, it would seem that if Kabuto spread his blood on these marks and performed the signs for summoning himself that he could use Orochimaru's contract with the snakes.

Kabuto, making the seals quickly, brought up a massive amount of chakra before slamming his hand to the ground. Jiraiya and Shizune watched as symbols that seemed to be written on invisible paper in blood sprawled out from Kabuto's hand, the symbols flashing with sinister light before the summoning technique took hold.

The earth shuddered as the creature suddenly appeared, a three-headed snake, the same snake that had leveled the castle in Tanzaku, and it was certainly massive enough to do such a thing. Orochimaru and Kabuto stood on the snake's center head, and Jiraiya found himself having been close enough to end up standing on the thing's smoky gray scales.

Jiraiya cursed as Kabuto leapt off of the snake to go after Shizune, but gave thanks that Naruto had gotten Tsunade and Loor far enough away as not to get crushed by the gigantic creature. Still, the snake wasn't stuck in one spot. Under Orochimaru's command the thing could easily go after Loor and Tsunade and no one would stand a chance.

He wasn't strong enough to summon Gamabunta at the moment... but he could do something else.

He wasn't a Sannin for nothing.

Orochimaru took notice of his old partner as Jiraiya started building up energy, doing hand signs almost faster than the human eye could track. Quickly he made his way down from the snake's head. It would seem he would do battle with his old partner upon the snake's body.

He couldn't stop Jiraiya's jutsu though, the white haired man completing it just as his former partner got in range.

Suddenly the earth below the snake turned to muddy swamp, black muck that bubbled and pulled at anything that happened to be in it... which was the snake. The creature's heads all opened and hissed in protest to the sinking feeling, as it's body quickly became stuck.

Jiraiya smirked. This beast wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

* * *

Naruto had been watching as both the snake was summoned and then the swamp brought into existence by an earth style jutsu. Strange, that Jiraiya was probably wind prone but was still able to use an earth based jutsu of such magnitude.

Naruto had to wonder what he was capable of at full power.

A few moments after that his eyes were attracted to Shizune and Kabuto, and instantly felt a pang of worry. Shizune couldn't take him, that much was obvious. She was taking hits left and right, and almost all of the attacks she would attempt failed.

TonTon, who had stayed with Naruto, gave a weak sound of worry himself.

Slowly, he bent to look at the two people he was protecting. Tsunade looked scared out of her mind, practically having a panic attack, which puzzled him. She had blood on her, but it wasn't hers. Loor wasn't outwardly wounded, but it was obvious something on the inside was messed up.

He sighed, taking Loor's coat off of his head and placing it over her, forcing the girl's hand to wrap around Ryu. "C'mon Loor... snap out of it. I brought your weapon. You can fight, I know you can, believe it."

He glanced up, frowning.

Shizune was taking more and more of a beating. Much longer and he'd have to do something and leave these two vulnerable.

He got up, to be ready.

"Granny Tsunade, I don't know what's gotten into you..." He muttered. "But I'll show you the proof today. When this is over, you're going to acknowledge that I can become Hokage, right after we beat these guys."

His blue eyes narrowed on Kabuto as Shizune fell.

"Believe it."

"You know, Naruto, I've noticed something about you." Kabuto said, eying the boy that used to be his friend. "You've always been in someone's shadow, haven't you? I've seen your grades back at the academy, you were dead last in your class, and you ended up in a team with the best student, Sasuke. You've lived in his shadow, haven't you? Constantly wondering why it's all about him, why he's powerful, why people like him... and I could tell you why." He pulled a weapon like a kunai knife from his own weapons pouch, only it was slightly longer and curved. "Do you know what it is?"

Naruto said nothing, staring at Kabuto with eyes so narrow they were almost closed, brow furrowed in betrayal. Kabuto had been his friend... only to turn out to be a spy.

"It's because you're pathetic. You have no potential. You don't even deserve genin status. You should have dropped out of the academy in your first year, like all the other kids who never stood a chance."

Anger. Rage. Kabuto was pissing him off. Muscles tensed, starting with his shoulders and crawling down, his right hand starting to extend out, curling to cup an orb that started to form, chakra causing the air to gather and spin in his hand.

Kabuto seemed not to notice. "You're a nothing, Naruto. We don't care about you... which is why I'm going to kill you and put you out of your misery."

Naruto felt the Kyuubi trying to fuel him, trying to add chakra through his rage, but held it back. He brought his teeth to bear as she glared at Kabuto, bringing his other hand to forming the ball of spinning air in his hand, the mini typhoon.

Kabuto stood, looking in confusion at the ball in Naruto's hand.

The younger boy bellowed, leaping forward at Kabuto with his right hand, the hand with the ball of air, thrusted forward.

The elder boy simply danced out of the way. He had no idea what that jutsu was, but it was too slow. Naruto would never hit him with it unless the kid could hold him down.

Tsunade was watching.

She stared as Naruto and Kabuto faced off, the scene hardly making it into her brain.

Her mind flashed back to Nawaki's body, the way it had been mutilated, how one couldn't even tell who it was.

She looked at the blood on her hands before her brown eyes struggled over to Loor's shuddering body, the girl seeming to tread the edge of life and death.

Again to her past, to Dan, as her every attempt to heal him failed, his kidneys having ruptured, the blood being everywhere. All over her, all over her hands.

The rain couldn't wash it off. Even in that storm, the blood wouldn't wash away.

She'd lost them. She'd lost them both. She'd failed. And the blood...

The blood... it reeked. It stained. It leaked away from those who shouldn't have died.

Those who shouldn't have died...

Those who shouldn't die.

She found herself with the energy to move, slowly going over to Loor. The poor girl, working on one lung... six different muscles aside from that damaged.

It would take a lot of chakra... but she could do it. She was a doctor after all.

She kept one eye on Naruto though, as something was about to happen in his bout. He and Kabuto had been at it for a while, but they were in close quarters now.

Naruto had a shadow clone behind him, Kabuto in front of him, and Kabuto was on the offense with his curved kunai thrust forward.

Naruto had put his left hand forward, letting that knife pierce through his hand, the blade coming out through the back of his palm, his fingers wrapping around Kabuto's hand with a death grip.

His right hand started to gather the air again, started to spin it again, and his clone did what he couldn't at the moment since his other hand was holding Kabuto, keeping the silver haired teen from running from him. His clone added the currents of air, causing them to clash, showing the tell tale form of the rasengan.

Naruto roared as he brought his right hand forward, the clone vanishing, and the ball slamming into Kabuto's stomach. Finally Naruto let go of him, and the silver haired boy bellowed as he flew back, the full powered force causing him to hit the ground hard and slide back, digging a trench with his back and the speed at which he was sliding and the force that had pressed him to the ground.

Naruto's left hand, the one that had been stabbed, would be out of commission for a while. He didn't care though.

That had been the rasengan. The real, fully powered, perfected, rasengan.

Kabuto lay on the ground, his shirt ripped open, his stomach ripped and bleeding, the skin warped and twisted, the back of his shirt and pants ripped by the ground, rocks in the dirt having cut him during his slide.

Kabuto slowly crawled to his knees, coughing blood and looking up at Naruto.

He looked... a bit too smug.

Tsunade had to look away for a moment as Loor's eyes cracked open, her lung working again. The girl was breathing properly, thank the gods.

Naruto fell to his knees, calling attention again, clutching his chest.

"What the...?" Tsunade asked herself quietly.

"A touch to the chest, to the heart." Kabuto gave, looking at Tsunade, not too surprised that she was moving again. "The kid is a pest... I did you a favor, getting rid of him. He should be dead in a few moments."

* * *

"_He should be dead in a few moments." _

Those were the words that Loor heard as she came around. Her eyes cracked open, first noting the bosom of an overly blessed woman leaning over her, which was taking up most of her field of view.

She turned her head to the side, see Tsunade's knees near her head, and also...

Naruto, on his knees.

Kabuto beyond him, looking rather beaten up.

Thank God for small favors.

Tsunade was suddenly on her feet, grabbing Naruto and dragging him back, laying him next to Loor. Loor watched, turning her head to the other side as Tsunade unzipped Naruto's coat and then ripped his undershirt down the middle somehow, though she couldn't see how. Tsunade seemed desperate to heal whatever damage Kabuto had caused.

Loor wished she could do something, but she could hardly move, and she knew no way of healing Naruto...

But he was... her _Nii-san, _ a big brother, practically family with the way they treated each other.

Kabuto... if he died it would be Kabuto that killed him, under Orochimaru's order no doubt.

Orochimaru wasn't going to take any more family from her!!

Tsunade had cleared Naruto's chest, getting her hands to glow with healing energy, her brown eyes growing intense with the need to save him, pressing her palms over his chest till she zeroed in on the damage.

His heart, though damaged, was still trying to beat. It was pumping blood still, but leaking into the rest of the body, bit by bit.

Internal bleeding. Shit. He didn't have long. She had to heal the damage, and later on someone was going to have to take a needle to the kid to collect the blood that had leaked out to avoid pressure building around the heart.

She pushed harder on her own energy, her hands flaring their healing green, pressing it to his chest, sensing the healing the same way she sensed the damage.

The muscle was knitting back together.

Loor was watching as a smile twitched on Tsunade's face. Slowly, the woman drew her hands away from Naruto, her chocolate brown hues becoming almost sad.

The elder blond woman drew off her necklace, the crystal shining as she slowly put it on Naruto's neck. "The last one." Tsunade muttered to herself. "Please... don't kill him."

Loor smiled slightly. Tsunade had acknowledged him.

Her blue eyes then widened. "Tsunade, turn around!"

The woman turned when she was told, suddenly seeing that Orochimaru had abandoned his fight with Jiraiya to come after them. He was on the ground, running full speed at the two disabled kids and Tsunade. His arms still hung dead at his sides, but his legs proved to be strong.

He was also armed, a sword seeming to be held in his mouth, or having come out of it. Only the blade showed, the hilt seeming to be contained in his maw somehow.

Loor knew that sword. It was the one that killed her family.

Orochimaru's eyes focused not on Tsunade, though.

They stared at Naruto with killer intent.

The scene seemed to slow down in the next few seconds. Loor's eyes could see Jiraiya behind Orochimaru, but there was no way the white haired Sannin was going to catch up and stop him. Tsunade, instantly, brought herself to defend Naruto's body.

Loor tried to push herself up off of the ground the pain making her give a reedy cry before falling down again. She could do nothing.

The muscles would only get worse if she tried to move them, but she could feel Ryu in her hand. How it had gotten there, she hadn't a clue... but she had her weapon. That meant it was her duty to fight.

Like Tsunade, it was her duty to defend.

Like Tsunade, she should have taken the hit.

Orochimaru tried to go around his old partner, but the woman put herself in the way, the sword plunging not only into her chest but also through it. Loor, behind her, watched as the sword came out of her back.

Orochimaru was as surprised as Loor was shocked.

"Why would you do that?" He asked, yanking back and leaning his head back. The sword sank back into his mouth, vanishing as he seemed to swallow the weapon. "Give your life for a little no-potential brat? Have you lost your mind, Tsunade?"

Tsunade looked down at the wound through her chest, at the blood dripping down into her shirt, and then smiled up at Orochimaru as it dribbled from her lips. "He's not just a brat. He's Uzumaki Naruto, and he's going to be Hokage someday." She drew herself to her feet. "And that's why I have to fight you... because I have to protect my people and my village..."

She grinned as her old partner got to his feet, having knelt when he had gone in for the kill that Tsunade had gotten in the way of.

"Because I'm the Fifth Hokage."

Orochimaru stared at her for a few moments, and then began to laugh. "If that is the case you're going to have the shortest rule ever. Perhaps you didn't notice, Tsunade, you're mortally wounded."

Tsunade smirked, her red painted lips curving smugly. "Not for long."

Loor had no idea what type of jutsu Tsunade had used, or technique, or whatever, but she could see from behind that something was causing the woman to heal. The hole in her back sealed up with chakra flaring around it long enough to even make the scar vanish.

Soon enough, the only evidence that she had ever been wounded was the blood on her shirt and the holes in her clothes.

The Fifth Hokage stared at her former partner, completely healed and ready for battle, her fears left behind.

* * *

And that's the end of this update stint. I know I probably got a lot of this fight wrong, but as I said… I hate research. If you don't like it, write your own… and then tell me! I'm looking for something new to read… .

Anyway, I hope I'll have the next set of chapters ready to go here soon. I hope to finish off this fight thingy, though it's practically over, and get our heroes back home.

**I own nothing.**

Review or I shall poke you! XP (Do you think I can come up with a different one of these every time? We shall see…)


	44. After The Fire

**Markings- Middle Ground  
Chapter Forty Four- After The Fire**

Kabuto growled at himself for how long he was taking to recover. His master needed him, and his regeneration technique was taking forever to work. It was an interesting jutsu to say the least... any damage he took would heal slowly on it's own, all of his cells activating and repairing themselves. Of course, this took a massive amount of chakra and could only go on for so long...

But he had just now managed to get to his feet, proving that the technique was still useful.

What had been that technique Naruto used? It was powerful, no doubt, even if it was slow.

He disregarded it, getting to his master as quickly as possible.

On his way to Orochimaru he noted that Shizune, Tsunade's aid, was also recovering, and advancing to be by the kids and her pet pig.

"Orochimaru!" Jiraiya called, from behind the addressed. "You fight us now. The kids aren't part of this... and the three of us have an old score to settle."

Orochimaru slowly turned his head to look at the white haired Sannin. "Jiraiya, it would seem you've recovered from the drugs Tsunade gave you. Am I wrong?"

"No." He grinned. "I'd say I'm back to one hundred percent and ready to take you on."

"Cocky as ever." The ebony haired snake muttered. "Kabuto, I think Mando would be ideal this time."

Mando. Kabuto winced. One of the snakes Orochimaru summoned when he truly needed to, seeing as the master beast demanded 100 human sacrifices whenever he was summoned, and if he didn't get what he wanted he'd turn on the summoner and eat them.

That meant Orochimaru was taking this very seriously.

"Summons?" Tsunade questioned, biting her thumb and smearing the blood on one hand. "You're going to regret that, Orochimaru."

"Am I?" He held his arm out to Kabuto for him to spread blood over the seals for a second time. "Hokage-sama, may I remind you that there's more than one way to heal these arms? Know this... once I am well I will come back to your precious village and dismantle it before lighting the leaves it's hidden in and making sure all anyone finds there for years to come is ashes." He grins. "Of course... maybe I'll save you the worry by killing you now."

"Keh, he really does fit his old nickname, doesn't he Tsunade?" Jiraiya asked, doing the hand signs required for summoning. "_Jaaku, _ evil."

The three Sannin all smirked at each other as Kabuto, Tsunade, and Jiraiya all slammed their hands to the ground.

Three great beasts were called to battle. Gamabunta, chief toad, a giant creature of red orange. Mando, master snake, a gray-brown monster with a mark on his head similar to the one on Loor's neck. Kitsuii, queen slug, a light yellow creature with a blue stripe down her back.

Three giant beasts. Three shinobi of unbelievable power.

A fight that these grounds wouldn't soon forget.

Shizune, Loor, and Naruto had all been close enough to Tsunade to end up on Kitsuii's back when the creature was summoned.

"Shizune." Tsunade addressed without looking. "These kids don't belong here. Get them as far as possible, head toward the city."

"Yes ma'am."

Tsunade looked down, at the creature she stood upon. "Kitsuii, a little help if you would be so kind."

Kitsuii had a sweet voice, like one would expect from a young nurse, not a giant slug. "Yes, mistress."

Shizune didn't seem too weirded out as the section of Kitsuii's back under Naruto and Loor began to morph out, becoming a smaller slug about the size of an elephant, just shorter and wider. Obviously, this was a familiar of Kitsuii's meant to carry the kids as far as possible.

Shizune, clutching TonTon to her breast, and the familiar jumped down, taking off in the direction of the city.

She didn't look back, having faith that Tsunade would be okay.

* * *

_Ow... where am I? I feel like I belong in a hospital... _

_Hm...? Konoha? I'm not there... we're two days hard traveling from Konoha... _

_But here I am. In the woods. _

_The river. I can hear the river where Gaara and I would meet all the time. _

_Oh, there it is. It's behind me. _

"_Loor?" _

_Who is that, calling my name? Behind me again... always behind me. _

_Who is that? That figure...? _

"_Loor, what are you doing here?" _

_Her?! What is _ _**she** _ _ doing here? _

_What the hell is that...? She looks like she always has, black hair, her strange ears, her claws, her tail, but... her fangs, her fangs are off. The one on the right looks correct, but the one on the left... it's huge. _

_Why is there sand caked around the left side of her face? Why is her left eye gold while her right eye is still black? _

"_Lyra, those aren't yours." _

_She's staring at me, as if she has no idea what I'm talking about. But she has to... that fang is way too big for her mouth, and the sand... the veins in her face have highlighted purple, not that they stick out that much from her purple-white skin. _

_Her tail twitches, along with the corner of her mouth as she tries to smile around the fang. _

"_Oh, you mean the gift he gave us." _

"_...gift? Gift he gave us...?" I back up, but my feet touch the river. _

_Always behind me. The answers are always behind me. _

_But what is my question? _

_Who is he? What is the gift?_

_The river is behind me, and it is the answer... but only while it is behind me._

_The river I tried to drown Shukaku in, taunted him for his power. _

_Those are the answers, both in the river. _

_She smirks around the fang, turning back into the woods._

* * *

When Loor woke up, she thought to herself for a second time that she needed a hospital.

Her eyes came open slowly, groaning softly as she felt someone lifting up her left arm, stretching it this way and that, bending the elbow and feeling the bicep. It felt like a doctor's hand, so maybe she was in a hospital...

If that was the case, Naruto was one of her visitors. He was sitting on the bed she was lying in, bent over and staring, looking worried. His sapphire blue eyes widened when she looked up at him though, returning a grin when she managed a half hearted smile.

"Granny Tsunade!" Naruto cried. "She's waking up!"

"Quiet!" Tsunade's voice snapped back. "I'm almost done, I just need to heal this shoulder. Let me concentrate."

Naruto gave Tsunade a defiant look before pouting. Still, he was quiet.

Loor began to move her head to look around. She wasn't in a hospital, she was back in the hotel room. Naruto was on the bed, Shizune at the foot of the bed, Tsunade leaning over the other edge while working on her damaged muscles. In the other bed, behind Tsunade, Jiraiya looked like he had just received treatment. He had binding around his chest and slats tied onto his right shin, like a brace for a damaged bone. At the moment the white haired man was pulling his clothes back on, smiling despite his somewhat rough shape.

She looked back at Naruto, finding the boy almost breathing down her neck again. Did he have to sit so close? She knew he was worried, but he didn't have to be touching noses with her.

"Naruto... a little breathing room here." She muttered.

He quickly pulled back. "Oops, sorry." He chuckled, scratching the back of his head.

"There we are." Tsunade gave, taking her hands off of Loor and backing off. "Should be good as new, kid. Try moving."

Loor looked over at Tsunade while sitting up.

Before anyone could think she fired out to punch the woman who just healed her. Of course Tsunade avoided it, but it was a tad unexpected.

Loor just chuckled as if she had done nothing, stretching. "Yep, I think things work."

"What the hell was that about, kid!" Tsunade snapped, grabbing Loor by the front of her bra, which was all the kid was wearing, her green coat and pants folded up at the foot of the bed. "I could rip you a new one for that stunt..."

Loor smirked in Tsunade's face. "I could rip you a new one for trying to set Naruto and Jiraiya up as sacrifices. Bravo for changing your mind, but I'm allowed to hold a little resentment for you."

The elder blond snorted at the younger's tone. "Why you cocky little bitch..."

"I could say the same to you!"

The two girls glared at each other for several moments before Tsunade smiled, backing off and looking at Jiraiya. "I like this one. Where'd you get her?"

Loor giggled, leaning down to the floor to get her clothes on. "From Kakashi." She said before Jiraiya could speak. "And to be honest, he didn't even want me coming on this trip. I had to badger him into to letting me come with."

Jiraiya chuckled, finally fully dressed again and tying his long white hair back. "Yeah, and I made her take a bath before letting her come along."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow, glancing at Loor as if trying to imagine her as a creature of low hygiene standards. "How evil." She muttered sarcastically.

Loor rolled her eyes at Tsunade before speaking again, finally pulling on her coat. "So... what happened? I mean, how long have I been out of it?"

"A couple hours." Tsunade gave. "I wasn't going to leave your muscles like that for long. You can thank Shizune and some locals for getting you and Naruto back here... but the fight didn't last long after you guys left."

"That's not what I meant." Loor seemed to grow a bit irked. "Orochimaru, did he get away?"

Tsunade glanced over at Jiraiya, who nodded.

"Unfortunately, yes, he did." Tsunade sat back, next to Jiraiya. "After Jiraiya and I finished off the snake he summoned... he just ran off. Neither of us were in the condition to chase him. I was exhausted, and Jiraiya had a fractured rib and leg."

Loor stood up off of the bed now, glaring at the two Sannin as if she were about to scold a couple of kids. "You realize he said there were other ways he could heal his arms, right?! He got away, and for all we know he could be back to full strength within the week!"

"Loor!" Shizune and Naruto both snapped, causing the girl to look at them.

"It wasn't their fault he got away." Shizune gave, frowning. "Orochimaru is by far the most powerful Sannin."

"Yeah, _Imoto-chan." _ Naruto grabbed her shoulders, getting her to sit down again. "And you're not dead either. This wasn't your last chance."

She laid back on the bed, staring at the ceiling, her eyes going somewhat dead. "But it was my _best_ chance... He was weak, and I didn't even get a single hit in because of Kabuto... and that sick bastard tried to make his stupid offer again."

She felt three sets of eyes turn upon her, but didn't really care.

"What offer?" Naruto questioned.

"He wanted me to join up with him." She snorted, as if it were a bad joke. "I honestly thought about it, thought that I could use such a choice position to gain his trust and then stab him in the back... but he seems so sure that he'd be able to get me over to his side that I'm almost afraid that he can. Kabuto supports the guy as if he were his dad or something... I worry that if Kabuto was somehow brainwashed into thinking like that... thing, I could be too."

"So you're not going to?" Naruto asked again, leaning over and getting in the way of her view of the ceiling.

"No way in hell." She smirked at him. "The day I join Orochimaru is the day I flaunt through a village wearing the most girly thing you can imagine."

He cocked his head to one side. "Like a Geisha kimono?" He grinned. "I'll hold you to that, _Imoto-chan..._ unless you like, get married or something. Wedding kimono are even more com--"

Loor fired out again, this time to punch Naruto. This time, she hit. Naruto fell back on the bed, clutching his jaw and whining as she got up from the bed. "Not planning on it, _Nii-san." _ She growled before looking at the adults. "So when the hell are we getting out of here? The sooner we get back to Konoha, the better, right?"

Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Shizune had all been staring blanking when Loor punched Naruto, but snapped back into focus after she asked that question. "Tomorrow morning we'll hit off." Tsunade said. "It's almost sun set now, and traveling in the dark is never a good idea. Not that we have to be afraid of bandits... but they're annoying."

"True, Tsunade," Jiraiya gave, sighing, "But once we get going we're probably going to go straight through. It's harder but it'll have us back in Konoha in a day and a half. Best we enter the village under the cover of darkness so everyone doesn't freak out at once that you're back."

"Am I really missed that much?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm surprised, I was sure most people didn't like me for my temper."

Naruto had finally sat up, still rubbing his jaw. "Loor's got a temper as bad as yours, we still like her just fine!" He gave Loor a look. "Most days..."

Loor gave Naruto a look, snorting. "What, looking for an apology?"

"Maybe."

"Don't get your hopes up. You know I try not to do that very often."

Shizune chuckled. "You two are like brother and sister."

Loor lifted her trademark eyebrow. "You're not to the first one to notice this fact."

Naruto pouted slightly. "At least I'm nicer than her."

She looked at him, glaring. "At least I'm less bone headed than you!"

"_You're _ less bone headed?" He glared right back. "Who went chasing after Tsunade all by herself, eh?"

"Who let slip our prank on the chunnin stadium back in Konoha to not one but two jonin?"

"Who got 'em to join us?"

"Who came up with the idea for the sticky jutsu?"

"Who helped you create it?"

Tsunade put her hands between the two bickering blonds, shoving them apart. "That's quite enough you two. You can have your little family feud later, but right now I want a hot cup of saki and something to eat beside it." She stood straight, looking back at Jiraiya. "I think we could all go for something to eat after that fight..."

Her partner, chancing his feet, nodded. "Agreed." He looked at the kids. "Think you two could behave long enough to eat something?"

Loor and Naruto looked at each other before breaking into identical smiles. "Sure."

Shizune gave a comical shudder. "I don't trust that look."

Jiraiya smirked. "You shouldn't."

* * *

"Lord Orochimaru... should we move for the next plan now?"

"No Kabuto... I do not wish to be too hasty. Bringing _him_ here too early could result in disaster."

"Not bringing him soon enough could result in death; _yours_ ."

"I realize that! In the case that waiting proves to be the wrong move, I'll just have to save my tastes and be less picky. We have plenty of strong bodies to choose from..."

"It's a shame that... the original became sick."

"That dream is dead. No reason to cry over it, Kabuto. I have a new dream now... and one has to be willing to wait for their dreams."

"What of the girls? Loor escaped thanks to Tsunade."

"Didn't you see it, Kabuto? She was tempted by my offer. Only hate made her refuse. Her sister should fall far more easily... and once we have one sister the other should follow, if she cares at all."

"You expect _them_ to persuade Fury to leave? Knowing their methods, they'll kill her. She has potential, but she's still frail."

"Kabuto, that is either the tone of defiance or caring that I'm hearing in your voice, and I don't like either of them."

"_Gomennaisai, _ Orochimaru-sama."

"At least you still remember who's in control."

* * *

DEAR CHRIST I'm done with that arc! Goddamn I thought I'd never make it through that fight, but hey, here we are and I think I made it with only a few mess-ups. --

Anyway, next installment on Monday or later, as my editor is currently on vacation. I got her to go through this one before she left, but now I gotta wait for her to come back. SORRY!! XP

**Loor owns this not.**

Reviews won't make the editor come back faster, but they may make me write more in her absence!

(BTW, Loor turned 17 on August 28th. XP I feel older.)


	45. Charms

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Forty Five- Charms**

"Kiba-kun?" Fury questioned, entering the apartment, Schizo running into the kitchen and barking her greeting. "Kiba, you here?" She asked, yawning slightly while shutting the door behind her. It had been a tough day training. Neji hadn't taken a single day easy on her since he'd gotten out of the hospital, and she was hurting for it. She'd come home nearly in her underwear because he had her try a dodging exercise that day... with real kunai. She only had a few cuts on her body, which spoke well of her skills, but her purple shirt and dark blue pants were in tatters.

"In here!" Kiba answered, his voice coming from their room.

Shit, she knew that tone.

She had mail.

Schizo looked back at her owner as Fury looked at herself. She knew what kind of a mood Kabuto's letters put him in, all jealous and possessive, and now she just walked in the house wearing next to nothing.

Schizo yipped at her, seeming to smirk.

"Yeah, I know!" Fury snapped back at the pup before going over to the bed room door. She cracked it open, only peeking her head in.

Her nose picked up on his smell. He'd taught her how to make chakra stores in her nose to increase the sense, though it was a gradual process for her when he'd been born with it, having a family who'd done it for generations. Either way, she got a whiff of sour envy and his dog-like musty smell.

He was sitting there, on their bed, leaning back on the wall it was against, with his claws tapping on one knee, a scroll in the other.

"Um... hi." She giggled nervously, reaching into the room and waving with as little of her body showing as possible.

"Hi." He said shortly, brown eyes narrowing at her. "What's up with you?"

Akamaru, at the foot of the bed, lifted his head and took several sniffs in Fury's direction, yipping twice.

"You're right, buddy." Kiba agreed with the dog. "She seems a little nervous."

He got up, walking toward the door she felt the urge to shut all of the sudden. "Maybe even a little scared." He added.

She whimpered, shutting the door and turning tail. "I need to go to the bathroom!" She yelped as an excuse.

Schizo, who had settled in the corner of the kitchen, seemed to chuckle at her owner as Fury ran into the bathroom, fumbling with the lock.

Akamaru joined Schizo as Kiba came out of the bedroom, putting the scroll he was holding into his coat pocket before advancing silently upon the bathroom.

He leaned on the door, smirking. Eventually, after several moments, Fury attempted to leave the bathroom... to have Kiba leaning on the door and keeping it from opening.

"Kiba!" She yelped. "C'mon, lemme out!"

"I didn't hear you go to the bathroom." He answered, grinning slightly. "Which means you're hiding, doesn't it?"

"This isn't funny!!"

"I'd beg to differ, but I don't beg." He chuckled. "This is hilarious. You walk in the place calling for me, and then you're hiding."

"That's cause I wasn't expecting..." She trailed off. "Well... I kinda forgot about appearances."

"Hm?" He was still smirking. "What, you fall in a puddle while training? It's not like I'm gonna laugh at you, Fury. Okay, I might, but that's beside the point."

"It's worse that that!" She snapped. "And it doesn't help that I know I got another letter from Kabuto, didn't I? I bet you've already read it too!"

"Actually... no." He side stepped the door as she tried to open it again, which caused her to come tumbling out of the bathroom.

She had tried to wrap a towel around her shoulders, but the make shift cover went flying when she fell, and Kiba couldn't help a doggish smirk at her tattered clothes.

"Oh, so _that's_ what you meant about appearances." He bent down to her level, which was face to the floor. "And Fury, I don't go through your mail. I was waiting till you got here to read it."

She glared at him. "Can I change first?"

He gave a grin. "Can I watch?"

"No."

"Then no, you can't." He chuckled, standing up. "I like this look."

"It's not a look!" She snapped, jumping to her feet. "It's Neji using me for target practice!"

"Either way it's sexy." He gave, walking back to their room.

She glared at him for several seconds before running up and jumping onto his back. "You... dog!"

He laughed, not even stumbling as she jumped him, grabbing her legs and opening the bedroom door with his toes. "Yeah, but you love me anyway."

She gave him a look before sighing softly. "Yeah, I do."

He grinned, kicking the door shut and dumping her on their bed. "Alright, here's your mail." He smirked, handing it to her and sitting at the foot of the bed. "You read it first and tell me how bad it is."

She snickered, taking the scroll and thumbing it open.

She could instantly tell Kabuto was a bit more serious in his letter. There were no doodles on this one.

_Fury, I'm afraid this might be my last letter for a while. _

_Jaaku sensei is going to see a doctor today, but it is likely that they won't be able to help. I'm afraid that if that is the case I will be stuck out here without a sensei. If no one can help him he's as good as dead. _

_Either way, it is very likely I will not see you again for a very long while. I apologize._

_I saw Loor the other day, though she wasn't happy to see me. Turns out she and Naruto have been training together... though it is strange to have to Konoha shinobi outside of the village so close to the Hokage's death. Either way she seems to dislike me still, and even more so when I told her that I cared about you. Does she hate everyone that likes you? I feel sorry for Kiba. _

_Either way it looks like she's been playing with fire. I wonder if you've been practicing any new moves while your sister has been away. Have you gotten any stronger while she's been gone? I'm sure she'd be proud of you if you had. _

_Though she seems very distracted. _

_I wish I could give you a way to write back to me, but sadly giving you my location would be against the rules of my mission. Someone could intercept the message bird, and you never know when unwanted eyes are looking. Konoha has a lot of enemies. Later on I may be able to secure my own messaging hawk. If that is the case, then you will be able to write back to me. _

_I would be lying if I said I didn't miss you and your constant tripping over yourself to apologize for everything... but perhaps letters will make due until I can see you. _

_Goodbye for now. I will send you another letter once my sensei has seen the doctor._

_Love,_

_Kabuto._

Fury stared at the letter for a while. She read it once. Twice. Kiba seemed to pick up on the fact that this one was a little more heartfelt and a little less flirty.

"What's wrong?" He asked, even if he pissed him off. Another boy that was making her look so concerned, but she still needed someone to talk to. He wouldn't let his possessiveness get in the way of being there for her.

"His sensei could be dead soon." Fury muttered, more to herself than to him. "And if that's the case... he's a genin, no way he could make his way back to the village all by himself. Only if he got really lucky. I mean, not to say genin are pathetic, but he's failed the chunnin exams how many times now? Eight? That's four years in a row... And I've fought him. He's not that strong."

Kiba frowned. It was true, Kabuto seemed to be only good at basic medical jutsu he'd picked up at the hospital. He failed at taijutsu and hadn't gotten to the level where they'd let him try genjutsu that was of any use.

"If he's gone too long... won't they send someone after him?" Fury asked, rolling up the scroll.

"Only if they had some idea where he was." Kiba answered, shrugging.

"I do! He told me before, a few letters ago! He told me that they were going to Tanzaku city! I mean, they could have left there since then, but his sensei is sick... they couldn't have gotten far."

"Tanzaku city? That gambling center?" Kiba snorted. "One hell of a place to go when you're sick. Not to mention it's right next to our border with the Field country, where the Sound village is. If they were following Sound forces back to their country someone could discover them and decide to dispose of them... or capture them."

Fury gave him a look. "You're not helping."

Kiba gave her the look right back. "Sorry for being honest."

She snorted, getting up and pacing the length of the room. "Yeah, well you could try padding the truth so I don't worry so much!"

"You want me to lie to you?" He got up to grab her shoulders and get in her face. "No way in hell!"

"Not lie, just don't say things that will make me worry!" She tried to throw his hands off, but they stayed glued to her shoulders.

"That's as good as." He narrowed his brown eyes at her, a fang showing. "Fury, you're trying to become a shinobi. We don't believe in padding the truth. When someone's dead, you gotta tell their team that they're dead, simple as that. You told me you grew up sheltered, but around here the truth is pretty blunt. If it hurts, I'm sorry, but you gotta take a little pain now and then."

"How the hell is a person supposed to be happy if they're hurting?!" She was going for an emotional outburst, trying to struggle away from him again. "People avoid pain, and people should avoid causing others pain all the time!"

He drew his head back. Where had this girl been living for her whole life, under a rock? "Every day has a little bit of pain in it. A headache, a stubbed toe, little annoyances here and there. You think you can just get rid of those by ignoring them? You gotta have pain, just don't focus on it."

She shot him a lethal glare.

Oddly enough, this caused him to release her.

She turned from him, leaving the room, going to the bathroom, and locking the door again.

She promptly sank to the floor with her head in her hands.

"_You gotta have pain, just don't focus on it." _

Kiba wasn't the only person who'd told her that. Loor said that, last year.

"_Just look at me." _ She'd said. _"I'm in pain every day, but I'm still happy. Every morning my back hurts like hell, and I gotta worry about you and all my other friends. It doesn't bother me though, because I don't think about it that much. Sure, I give it a nod, I notice it's there, but it's not my life. My life is the good stuff... You just gotta smile." _

"Smile...?" Fury questioned out loud. "Maybe I should cut it into my freakin' face, Loor... maybe tha'd make you happy... you never fucking cared about anyone's feelings. You just did your thing, and if it affected anyone you said that was their problem..."

She was always good looking, always strong, always smiling.

Always smiling. Even when she was angry, she'd go back to a laugh in a second.

Is that what Fury hated so?

Loor was happy. Happy with her body, her mind, her life, everything. Even now, with her family dead, the damned girl still found the positivity to play pranks and make people laugh.

What made that girl so bloody happy?

"Fury-chan?" Kiba asked through the door. "Please come out."

Fury noticed she was crying. Kiba must have smelt the salt.

_Unlock the door. _

"Go away." She muttered. "Just leave me alone."

"No." He gave shortly. "You're letting me in or I'm breaking down the door."

_Please do. _

"You'd better not." She gave, wiping her face only for it to become wet again. "I... I'll.. I'll do somethin' if you do..."

"I'm giving you to a count of three, Fury."

_Just break it down. I'm not going to touch that lock... but I want a hug. _

"Go to hell."

"One."

"I'm fucking serious, Kiba."

"So am I. Two."

"You break down that door I'm gonna break your face!" She yelped, backing away from the door and crawling into the bath tub, out of the way.

"Three!"

Two seconds later Kiba had crashed through the door, which had been a lot easier to break than he thought. Upon entering he worried that he had crushed Fury too, but she was curled up in the bath tub, crying and hiding her face.

She looked really beaten up. On top of all the cuts and her ripped up clothes... crying and shaking just finished the picture. He quickly crawled in after her, taking off his coat and throwing it around her shoulders, hugging her.

Moments later the dogs had also jumped into the tub, wiggling through the ball Fury had turned herself into in order to nuzzle into her stomach.

"I hate you guys..." She sniffled.

"Yeah." Kiba snickered as the dogs yipped at her. "We love you too."

* * *

"So..." Jiraiya sighed, irony having it that they'd gone to eat at the exact same bar that they'd all met at a week ago, at the exact same table. "I guess I gotta be formal about this. Tsunade, you accept the job of Hokage?"

"Full responsibility." She answered, shuffling her deck of cards again. The seating was a little different this time, Loor and Tsunade sitting across from each other on the inside, being the players in the poker game. Shizune and Jiraiya were on the outside, and they'd gotten a chair dragged over for Naruto to sit on the end, the three of them munching on a plate of finger foods at the time. "Now that I think about it, I kinda miss Konoha. It's going to be interesting seeing it again after being away so many years."

"Tsunade," Loor gave, picking up her five cards for the hand. "Naruto and I have heard Jiraiya talk about you being a master healer. From what I've seen so far, it's true."

"Hm?" The elder blond nodded. "Yeah, what of it?"

"There's a few people we want you to look at when we get back to Konoha." Loor answered before Naruto could brust in. Knowing him he'd be very obnoxious about something best said with a level head. "Two students and a teacher."

"Really?" Tsunade picked up her cards, glancing over them.

"Really." Jiraiya gave. "Two of them were hit with Tsukuyomi."

"And survived?" Tsunade questioned as Loor dropped four cards out of her hand.

"One was a Uchiha." Jiraiya gave as Naruto looked like he was going to burst, as he kept trying to say what everyone else was saying but kept getting cut off. "The other was Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Shinobi."

Tsunade dropped two cards, picking up two. "The genius?" Tsunade snorted. "How the hell did he get caught up in that if he's so damn smart?"

"Hey!" Naruto snapped. "You can't call Kakashi sensei stupid! It's not his fault that the ninja he fought was really powerful!"

"Really, Naruto?" Tsunade gave, looking down the table at him. "Did you meet the shinobi yourself?"

"Tsunade." Jiraiya gave before Naruto could start shouting things at the top of his lungs. "It was an Akatsuki shinobi. Uchiha Itachi."

Tsunade stared for a few moments, then shrugged. "I'm still disappointed in Kakashi." She looked back at Loor. "Lay 'em down, shorty."

Loor smirked, dropping her cards. "Four of a kind and a king." She gave. Sure enough, she had all four eights in the deck plus a king.

"Damn it." Tsunade cursed, putting her cards down. "Two pair." She gave. She had a pair of threes and a pair of sixes, plus an eight which counted for nothing.

She then blinked as if something was very odd.

Naruto snorted. "I still don't think you're fit to be Hokage."

Tsunade, who was about to ask Loor a question, turned to look at Naruto again. "What was that, brat?"

"You heard me." Naruto crossed his arms over his chest. "You look too young, you're too rough, and you keep losing money on gambling!" He shrugged. "Doesn't sound like a Hokage candidate to me."

Tsunade growled, forgetting about her cards and putting her foot on the table, glaring down at Naruto. "You wanna settle this out side again, short stuff?"

Loor sighed. Irony would just have it, wouldn't it?

Naruto got up, getting in Tsunade's face. "My pleasure, granny."

Moments later, they were outside on the exact same road as before, even though said road had been fixed since what happened a week ago. Naruto faced Tsunade, the two glaring at each other, though Tsunade had a smug smirk on her face.

"You're gonna regret this," Naruto gave, "believe it!"

Loor rolled her eyes, standing on the side with Jiraiya and Shizune. TonTon, in Shizune's arms, seemed to agree with her.

Tsunade grinned. "I still only need one finger for you." She gave, smirking. "I guarantee you that."

He growled at her, and then charged. It was an almost exact repeat of what happened last time, as Tsunade stood there. Loor almost expected her to have the audacity to inspect her nails.

When Naruto got in range she ducked down low, hitting him upside the head. The move caused his headband to fly off, and for him to land on his butt a few feet back. Quickly he stood up again, but Tsunade was on the advance.

Naruto quickly realized what was coming. "Oh man..." He shut his eyes, ducking his head down. "Not the flicking thing again!"

Loor watched as Naruto made himself into a sitting duck when he could have fought back... but she didn't yell at him, she just watched at Tsunade got extremely close to him.

The woman stopped but inches from him. What was she up to?

Tsunade bent and kissed his forehead.

Loor stared for several moments, not understanding, till she remembered something Tsunade told her before.

"_The day I gave him that necklace, I... I told him to take off his headband. Said I'd give him a charm, to help him make his dreams come true." _

Loor smiled slightly to herself. The day Tsunade had tried to give her necklace to her little brother, she gave him a charm, in hopes that his dreams would come true. Nawaki and Naruto must have been alike, beyond wanting to be Hokage...

Because she gave the same charm to Naruto.

A kiss.

In that one move, she'd practically picked the next Hokage.

* * *

FREAKIN FINALLY!!

No, I didn't die. I went back to school. Yeah, it happens. But, as you veteran readers know, that means I'll be returning to my school-updating schedule. I work through the week and give you all the chapters I've finished on Friday, or in the case of this week, Thursday as I will not be home on Friday.

I guarantee you that once you've read all the latest chapters that you will all hate me with a bloody passion like no other.

But enough about that, I'll see you punks this Thursday.

Send me reviews so I don't forget to update. XP

**I don't own it. **


	46. Brother, My Brother

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Forty Six- Brother, My Brother**

"_Nii-san..." _ Loor muttered, looking up. "Look."

Naruto, who had been in bed, turned his head to see Loor at the window. They had gotten back to the hotel a while ago, but she'd been restless and refused to lay down.

Jiraiya, in contrast, had been snoring not seconds after they'd gotten in.

"What is it?" He asked, sitting up.

"Full moon..." She muttered, leaning on the windowsill, her upper body mostly outside. "It seems... brighter than I remember from home."

Slowly Naruto got out of bed, leaning on the window and looking up. It was true, it was full, but he didn't see anything strange about it. "It looks normal to me, _Imoto-chan." _

She shrugged, sighing. "Maybe I'm just going crazy... it just seems bigger, brighter than I remember from home. I'd practically study the full moon back at home." She looked at him. "Kinda strange, eh?"

He shook his head before speaking. "Hey, Loor." He looked at her. "What's your home like? Is it anything like Konoha?"

"Not even close." She snickered, looking out at the city before looking at the moon again. "First off, it's a lot smaller. We're a little town... hardly a town when you think about it. It's a place where everyone knows everyone because there's so few people, where rumors spread fast. I think everyone in that place knows who I am, even if I don't know half of their names."

"Wow, that's gotta be annoying." He sighed. "So, I bet everyone is gonna be really surprised when you get back, since all of them are gonna know you've been gone."

"Yeah... Fury and I have been gone... wow, almost four months now."

"Really?"

"Yeah... we had one month training before we met your team, a week between that and the chunnins, a month from there to the chunnin finals... and the invasion. We spent a day in Otafuku, three weeks in the city after that doing rasengan training, which totals up to about three months and a week, plus the week we've spent here. So three months and two weeks..." She muttered this as she had been counting it off on her fingers, biting her lip. "My goodness... it feels like it's been so much longer. I mean, with all the stuff that's happened, the days feel like they count for more than that."

She put her hand to the mark on her neck. "Three months... almost four... wow."

"You miss your home?" He asked.

"Not as much as you'd think." She gave. "I didn't like the place that much... but it had a lot of people that were precious to me."

"Oh..." He bit his lip. "You miss your family, right?"

"Of course I do..." She said this distantly, as if she were sleeping, or the walking dead. She was getting lost in the moonlight to avoid the question.

To tell the truth, she still tried to avoid feeling it at all.

"Loor, c'mon." He gave, grabbing her elbow and tugging. "Let's go to bed. We have a rough day tomorrow."

"Compared to what went down today?" She chuckled, slowly ripping her gaze away from the full moon. She felt like the room was too warm the second she stepped out of the light, like she had liquid embers running in her blood. It was the reason she'd gotten up in the first place, that the room had been burning her, smothering her.

Boiling her.

"Good point." He smirked, sitting down. "Now all we gotta do is get home. I know Jiraiya says it'll take a day and a half, but I bet if we got the grown-ups to run we could get there faster, believe it!"

"Yeah, but how are we going to do that?" She asked, sitting on her side of the bed and leaning back on the pillow. "We can't just ask them to move faster, Tsunade would probably smack us both, and Jiraiya will whine about his recently healed bones... but if Tsunade is half as good at medical jutsu as the doctors at Konoha hospital he's already back to one hundred percent."

"Good point..." Naruto's brain started working, which was an interesting event in itself. Naruto followed a trait of all ADHD people... being a freakin genius under being royally scatter brained. Once applied, no roadblock can stand in an ADHD person's way, but they can't find the bathroom on their own most mornings because they can't concentrate.

"I got it." He gave after looking focused for several moments.

She smirked, having been thinking herself, also being a bit ADHD. "Me too."

"You thinkin' what I am?" He asked. "To use the fact that they're old partners?"

"And taunt them into competing." She answered, grinning from ear to ear, her overly warm discomfort forgotten for the moment with the rush of coming up with a plan. "You take Jiraiya, I'll go for Tsunade."

"But how are we gonna get 'em to go faster?"

"That's simple. It's all about who's walking in front."

"Eh?"

"It's a dominance thing." She snickered. "Whoever is at the head of the group is the dominant one, and the line goes it order of power. Whenever I have to walk with someone I'll force myself into the lead if I'm in a sour mood, or walking with someone I don't like."

"Oh, like when you had to discipline with Neji?" Naruto smirked. "But you guys ended up arguing and running to try and beat each other."

Loor's grin got wider, if possible. "Exactly, Naruto. Exactly."

He looked puzzled. "I don't get it. I mean, yeah, granny Tsunade is a lot like you, but Jiraiya is nothin' like Neji."

Loor rolled her eyes. He missed it. "Doesn't mean they won't fight. There's the gender thing going on, and Jiraiya is a creature of pride. Say Tsunade has the lead, all you have to do is go up to Jiraiya and say 'Hey, a _girl_ is beating you.' The rest happens on it's own. Almost all boys fall to their gender pride."

"Oh!" Naruto smirked. "I get it, and if Tsunade is in back you go up to her and make a comment about a boy beating her, right? She's like you, won't let anyone walk on her. She'll mow Jiraiya over to get in the lead!"

Their grins had become identical.

Prankster ADHD kids... Gotta love 'em.

* * *

The hour was early, sun crawling over the sands, dying the grainy sea red and gold. On this morning, dry and harsh as any other, two people stood waiting for the coming heat.

"All I'm saying is that what if one of the times he goes out... what if he doesn't come back?" One of them asked. "I mean, it's great he's worked out a system to avoid going feral in the village, but he's left vulnerable for about an hour after he goes back to himself. All it takes is one sandstorm to bury and smother him, and he's a gonner."

"Kankuro," The other snapped. "Would you stop that? For all we know, Shukaku freakin' _controls_ the sandstorms. Gaara's not going to die out there; he was born out there. He knows the sands as well as we do, if not better."

"Temari," He snapped back at his sister. "I'm allowed to worry about my little brother, even if he's got a demon watching over him. Actually, I think that gives me all the more reason to worry about him."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. My question is... what does Shukaku do out there? I mean, there's nothing out there, the location Gaara picked is miles from anything... I mean, that's why he picked it. It so Shukaku couldn't destroy anything, even if he ran to get at it all night."

Kankuro shrugged, leaning against the wall. He and his sister were outside the village wall, yes. Usually this wasn't allowed, but the village was on the verge of anarchy regardless without a leader and knowing the Sound village duped them. All it really took was waving to the gate guard and telling him about how long they'd be outside. Of course they were screwed if a sandstorm tried to roll through, because the village gate would close, but they trusted the winds enough to wait.

They had to wait for Gaara to come back.

The boy had been gone for three days, just like the last full moon. It took him two days to get to the location he'd decided on after finding nothing for miles from it on a map. It was the perfect place to go during the full moons, when Shukaku forced him to go feral. Gaara had mentioned that he had learned to fight the beast, and perhaps he could someday resist him, but till then this was the only way to insure no one was hurt.

Shukaku, in the night, always ran for the village. Kankuro was sure that he could hear the beast roar while lying in bed at night. Perhaps the beast was angry, or maybe he knew that with the supplies that Gaara packed, covering the distance in the night was the only way the boy wouldn't die of dehydration. Either way, Shukaku brought him close enough to the village before letting Gaara have his body back... and Gaara would come back to the village around dawn.

And Kankuro and Temari would wait to meet him with water and smiles that he had survived another month.

"Maybe I should ask Gaara..." Temari muttered. "You think they argue all night? Or... does he just run all night?"

"Temari, for all I know the freakin' raccoon is jerking off." Kankuro gave, showing that he wanted to change the subject. "All that matters is that Gaara isn't hurting anyone. That saves his mind, it would seem. He avoids it like the plague, situations that could cause him to get his hands dirty. Have you seen it?"

"Oh yeah." She nodded to agree. "He's really quick to walk away if something irritates him... which is better than death threats, but still not too great for him. I mean... He's gotta have human contact."

"Well, that's why we've been bringing him tea every other night." He smirked. "He has us."

"Yeah, but he's gotta have more. He's gotta get out and meet people."

"What do you suggest, a dating service?" He snickered. "I can see the ad now; looking for a girl who is into fangs claws and enjoys psychological treatment nightmares."

Temari's smile fell. "Yeah... you could use less letters and just say looking for Loor."

He almost slapped a hand over her mouth. _No one_ said Loor's name. No one had said it since they got home. "Temari! We're trying to help him get over her, not en--"

"I know what we're trying to do." She frowned. "But it doesn't seem right. He's hanging onto her with all he has... but he won't do some of the things she taught him. Like draining Shukaku, remember that? It let him sleep... but I bet he's afraid of dreaming. He doesn't want to see her in his dreams, because it's going to make him hurt, and he doesn't want to feel pain from her, he wants to remember the good things alone."

"You mean our brother is a hopeless romantic?" Kankuro asked as the sun became brighter, the red fading to orange, the sands beginning to burn with daytime heat. "That's sad."

"Says you." Temari snorted. "You've never been in love."

"And you have?" Kankuro gave, glaring at her. Of course, he was the most perverted sand sibling and he was the one who was still single. "I mean... I know Gaara was head over heels, but don't tell me you've got a thing going on back in Konoha too?"

"Why do you think its Konoha? I could have a boy here, too." Temari smirked. "Our population is bigger than Konoha's. There's more selection here."

"Yeah, but it was that Shikamaru kid that you kept tanning with."

"Who told you about that?" She gave, glaring at him.

"Well..." Kankuro put a finger to his lips. "It's a secret."

"Why you little--!!"

"Glad to see you two don't change while I'm gone."

Both Temari and Kankuro looked up to see Gaara approaching them from across the sands, not far away. He looked like he needed food and drink, which was good because his siblings had both, and he took both with eager hands. It was nothing more than bread and water, but it would do for now.

"So, how was it?" Kankuro joked from his earlier masturbation comment.

Gaara, of course, had no idea. He pulled away the water skin he had been sucking down, water dripping down his chin while eying his brother. "What are you talking about?"

Temari smacked Kankuro. "Nothing Gaara. Let's head back inside, quick before the heat catches up with us."

"I may have to change my location." Gaara gave as he started to walk, his steps unsteady from how few supplies he took with him on these trips. "Shukaku... he found a group of abandoned buildings. No one living there, but if someone tried to take shelter from a storm there..."

He didn't have to complete the sentence.

"Well... um, Gaara..." Kankuro began.

Temari shot him a look. He wouldn't dare, would he? No, he wouldn't mention it, suggest it? Mentioning Loor's name was taboo, mentioning anything she taught Gaara felt like it was equally wrong.

Kankuro gave her a glance, but offered a smile.

The kid could stand a little pain.

"Maybe you don't have to go out there. I mean... it would take a load off of our minds if you didn't."

Temari winced.

"What?"

"Don't tell me you forgot. We can just drain Shukaku before the full moon. Who knows, maybe after doing it a few times you'll sleep less and spend more time awake, without him."

Gaara's icy hues had focused upon Kankuro as if his elder brother had suggested swallowing flesh-eating bugs. His eyes told his brother to go to hell for saying what he had, to burn for reminding him of that time, of the near week he'd spent asleep...

Thanks to _her._

His dream, as if he had just seen it yesterday, rushed to the top of his conscious, only he could fill in the blanks the little fantasy had left. Back when all he wanted to do was kiss her, that was as far as the dream was, but now his waking mind told him he wanted to do more.

The ice in his eyes grew sharp.

"No. I didn't forget."

He looked away from his elder brother. "And I won't do it."

They entered the village gates, the sun rising and bringing the day's heat with it.

Kankuro was smirking as he and Temari went into the heart of the village, Gaara breaking away from them to go and rest at the Kazekage estate.

Temari turned and punched her brother. "Are you crazy?!" She snapped. "You're so lucky he didn't mess you up!"

"He wouldn't." Kankuro smirked, not seeming fazed by the hit. "Though he might the next time I go at him."

"What the hell are you talking about, Kankuro?! You're going to keep pressing it? I'm not gonna be surprised if you end up dead! He's threatened before, you know that, and the kid is perfectly honest! He's never really lied, never gave an empty threat! Next time you screw with him he's likely to make good on the threat he's made before."

He grinned at her. "He won't. That was his way before, you're right... but he's a little softer around the edges if you haven't noticed. As sharp as his edges were, someone wore them away. I'd say we'd be wasting what she taught him if we didn't act on it."

"He already said no." She was bristled like one of the desert cats. "He's not one to change his mind."

"I'm not saying he will... I'm just saying he didn't have to give me permission to attack him."

She felt a twitch go through her. "You're crazy. He'll kill you. Just like Yashamaru, he'll kill you."

"Temari, he's changed. He won't kill me. He might rough me up a little... but as long as he doesn't break my fingers I can make Crow go at him for hours, till Shukaku's drained down to a piddly little chakra nothing. Loor told us all about it, almost like instructions. She _wanted _ us to do this!"

"She probably didn't want us to do this against his will!" Temari said this while shoving her brother into a back alley, the streets of Suna becoming active, sinking to an enraged hiss. "What if we make him worse by attacking him?"

"I'll warn him." Kankuro said innocently. "Just because it's against his will doesn't mean I won't tell him what I'm doing. He'll know I don't plan on killing him, I just wanna help him. Loor did stuff like this too, early on." He smirked at his sister. "Or do you think he planed on her calling Shukaku a coward? Or pissing him off every other time they met? She almost made a point of it, testing him every time. If we just do what he wants, he won't make any progress."

"He wants to get better. He's making progress."

"Not without our help." He smirked. "A puppet can't operate itself."

"He's not a puppet."

"To Shukaku..." Kankuro frowned. "He is."

* * *

Yeah, I know this one was really into dialog and very 'As you know, Jim' but oh well. Story is story, right?

I've got a few updates here. Let's get on with it.

I'll put the disclaimer at the end.


	47. This Little World Of Mine

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Forty Seven- This Little World Of Mine**

Loor woke up with a start, sitting straight up in the bed and clutching the blanket she'd ended up tangled in.

She was sweating as if she'd had a nightmare... but she didn't remember it.

Naruto, next to her, grumbled about the sudden loss of his blanket, which she had yanked off of him. He curled up, grabbing for the loose end without opening his eyes.

She sighed, getting herself out of the knot and getting off of the bed. It was early... the sun was hardly up.

She shrugged, going over to her pack. They'd be traveling today... might as well be ready.

But she suddenly felt so sluggish and slow, as if she'd lost something. Something important.

_**You bet your ass you lost something, you've just been ignoring it.** _

She groaned as she verified all of her belongings were put away, pulling the drawstring on her pack shut and sitting on the floor next to it. "What the hell do you want?" She questioned herself, looking dejectedly at the floor.

_**Just to talk, my friend. Just talk. ** _

"Talk about what?" She whispered at the ground. "What do you care about what I've lost?"

_**I'm offended, Loor. You think I don't care about you? Of course I do, since you hardly care about yourself. ** _

"I care plenty for myself... If I didn't I would have given up long ago."

_**That's what you tell yourself, but I see past that little act of yours. You force your smiles, push your laughs, just enough till they become real. You make yourself feel happy so you don't have to face the sting. Do you know why you're so slow this morning?** _

"Do I care?" She snorted, getting up and looking out of the window again, like last night. "Leave me alone."

_**You didn't have a nightmare, Loor. You had a dream. Had I let you remember it, you would have woken up crying, I'm sure. Sobbing for those you miss, pining for the people you love. But it seems that your body still knows what your dreams gave you a taste of; your old world, plus your new love, and the loneliness is slowing you down. ** _

"Be quiet." She whispered, looking outside but not seeing it. Her fists, rested on the sill, were clenched.

_**It was a beautiful dream, Loor. Your family at your side, all smiling, all loving. And then, your mind expressed something else you want. It's the reason you were sweating. You had a dream of things you wanted to do to Gaara.** _

"I said be quiet!"

Loor had nearly bellowed this, slamming her hand on the windowsill, the wood cracking under her hand. "No one says his name, no one!" She spoke passionately, angrily, to herself.

"..._ Imoto-chan?" _

Loor broke out of her conversation with herself to turn and look back, as her angry reaction had woken Naruto up.

She stared, mouth open as if she'd forgotten how to use her tongue.

"_N-Nii-san." _ She muttered.

_**You know the funny part, Loor? You're going to lose more people very soon. If you're so set on going home... you're going to lose Gaara for good.** _

"Are you alright?" Naruto asked as Loor tried to ignore the voice in her head.

"Um... yeah, I'm okay. No big deal." She made herself smile. "Just... eh... having a little talk with myself."

"It sounded like things were about to get violent." Naruto chuckled. "Though... I wonder how that works."

_**You're going to lose Naruto too.** _

"Let's not find out." Loor gave, her smile growing a bit more half hearted. She couldn't keep her mind on making it look real.

_**You won't get to bicker with Kiba anymore, or fight with Neji. You'll miss that, won't you? ** _

"_Imoto-chan..." _ Naruto's face grew concerned. "You look like you're... sad. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Just fine." She answered, though her voice had grown muted.

She felt a lump in her throat. Is this what Lyra wanted? Did Lyra want her to cry in front of Naruto? To sob for all the world to see?

Or did she just want Loor to feel the sting?

_**You'll never find out if Lee recovered all the way or not, Loor. How do you think he feels? You, leaving, when he needs people the most. The funny thing is that's not the worst of it... the very worst is that if you leave... how do you ever expect to get a shot in at Orochimaru? Without the masters to train you, how do you expect to get any better? What are you going to do, keep beating up kids at school? Like that will help. ** _

"Loor?" Naruto questioned.

"Shut up." She muttered.

_**You know I'm right, Loor. At least I now have enough life to argue with you. Before I probably would have never disputed you for so long, but now I have my own mind, and for some reason it's making more sense than yours. ** _

"Shut up." She whispered, lowering her head, her hair covering her face.

A tear went down her cheek.

_**I won't, Loor. Not till you see it. You only want to go home for one reason, but you keep saying other things. All this bull shit about protecting people, it's just a cover for the fact that you want to go home and pretend that this all was some sort of dream...** _

"That's not... no... it's not..." She stumbled over her words, sniffing and wiping her face.

_**You cowardly weakling. ** _

Naruto had gotten off of the bed at this point, walking up to Loor. She was obviously having one of her mental moments... but she usually didn't speak out loud. Whatever had caused this change couldn't have been a good thing...

He reached out to her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Loor?"

"NO!" She yelled, lashing out. Her eyes were closed, probably not knowing who's face she'd just planted her fist in. "I am not a coward, and I am not weak! I... I have my reasons, and you can't possibly understand them! Shut up or get the fuck out of my head!!"

Jiraiya had woken up by now, looking at Loor in shock. He saw Naruto go down.

Naruto stared up at Loor, who had opened her eyes by now and looked with equal shock down at Naruto.

"Uh..." She looked between the boys, panting slightly, rubbing her tear streaked face. "I..." She lowered her head. "I didn't..."

"Loor, what the hell just happened?" Jiraiya asked, half out of bed.

"None of your business, sensei." Naruto gave, standing up, looking at Loor.

What was that look on his face?

"You wouldn't get it."

That look on his face... he held no pain for what would probably turn into a black eye, but a different look... a much kinder one.

He looked at her with understanding.

He hugged her as Jiraiya sat aside, feeling rather awkward.

* * *

They had left Tanzaku very early in the morning, in hopes of reaching Konoha by daybreak of the next day at the latest. No one was in particularly high spirits after the morning's episode aside from Tsunade and Shizune, who both looked forward to going to Konoha. Jiraiya, on the other hand, was walking at the back of the pack to keep an eye on the two kids, who walked close together and quietly.

Loor was off in her own little world. She had tried apologizing to Naruto about hitting him, but he wouldn't accept it. Still... she had outwardly lashed out after Lyra went to enrage her.

Is _that_ what the wanna-be demon wanted?

It was like Shukaku and Gaara. Lyra engaged her into conversation to rile her up like Shukaku would bring up old memories to trick Gaara into a frenzy.

Loor felt a little more sorry for her lost love. She had to wonder if he had gotten any worse.

But Loor felt a little relief. She didn't have the sand, so she couldn't be sent into killing people. But still... the fact that Lyra knew how to piss her off that badly was unsettling to say the least.

"Loor."

She glanced over at Naruto, who had been staring at her for a while. He did have a black eye forming.

"What did she say to you?" He asked. "I mean... I don't talk to the fox... he doesn't even have a name. I've only heard his voice, seen him, once. But you... you don't have any seals or anything, so I bet Lyra talks to you freely, whenever she wants. What kind of stuff does she say?"

She stared at him for a moment before looking down at her feet again.

He sighed, as if to say that he understood if she didn't want to talk about it.

"Anything to hurt me." She finally answered. "Anything that gets under my skin."

"What did she say to make you..." He trailed off, touching a finger to his bruised eye. She knew what he indicated.

"Reminding me of a bad decision... a decision I refuse to change."

Tsunade, walking up front, seemed to take notice when Loor said this, not that the two teens noted the elder blond listening in.

"What decision?" Naruto asked. Of course he did.

"My decision to go home, no matter what."

"Why would that be a bad decision?" He cocked his head to one side. "I mean, home is home, right? It's always a good place to go."

Loor stared at her feet for a few moments more before she started to walk faster than the rest of the group, leaving them behind.

"Loor, wait up!" Naruto yelled after her as she seemed to focus on putting distance between herself and the others.

"Hey, short stuff, get back here!" Tsunade barked.

Loor didn't even look. She just kept moving, going from her quick walk to a jog.

Jiraiya frowned. "Something is troubling her..."

"I know, sensei!" Naruto snapped. "But if she gets too far out there some bandits could attack her or something..."

Tsunade chuckled. "I think the bandits have to worry more than she does..."

Shizune frowned slightly, shaking her head. "Still... it's not good for someone to be alone."

Naruto nodded a little bit, quickly footing it to get ahead of the others.

Jiraiya seemed unhappy with this decision. "Ack, Naruto! You need to stay with the group too!"

"I'll bring her back!" Naruto gave before breaking into a run to catch up with Loor, who was rather far from the group by now.

"Naruto!" Jiraiya fumed, trotting to catch the little blond teen. "You want to get yourself captured?"

"Captured?" Tsunade questioned as the kids left earshot, grabbing Jiraiya by the back of his shirt before he could run too far. "C'mon, he may be the fox kid with the Akatsuki after him and all... but Loor's got a face that can scare away just about anyone."

Jiraiya sighed slightly, being forced to walk in line with Shizune and Tsunade. "Yeah... if the smell doesn't keep 'em off."

Tsunade glanced at Jiraiya. "You really have a problem with girls who have bad hygiene, don't you? On the other hand... when was the last time that girl had a bath?"

"You don't wanna know, Tsunade. Trust me."

"True, but there's something I _do_ want to know." Tsunade gave a look to the only male left in the group.

Shizune bent her head slightly, frowning. "Tsunade, do you really think Jiraiya-sama knows? I doubt Loor told him."

TonTon oinked weakly in agreement.

"What don't I know?" Jiraiya asked, eying both women. "You two shouldn't talk like I'm not here, it's rude."

"Like I care." Tsunade looked back at him. "What I want to know is this... where is that girl from? She keeps talking about her home as if it's another planet. Last night, I was star gazing... and I heard her and Naruto talking at your guy's window. She seems... almost alien." Her face hardened. "Where did Kakashi get that kid from?"

Jiraiya studied the ladies for several moments, as if wondering if he could trust them. Finally, he sighed. "Well, you two were going to hear about it sooner or later... Kakashi told me the story, and he was going to tell the next Hokage himself. But... seeing as he's disposed, I'll do it in his stead."

He glanced up, as if to make sure that Loor couldn't hear his words. He was sure the rage-prone girl would take his head off for telling the story of her most weak moments. Thankfully, both she and Naruto were well out of hearing range, far ahead on the road. They seemed to be talking, which was a good thing.

Jiraiya would never guess that they were having the same conversation... that Loor was telling Naruto everything, as she saw it. The true story of her family's death, and Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai saving herself and Fury.

Well, Jiraiya's version covered a bit more than that.

"Almost four months ago, Konoha got word of Sound nin prowling around our borders, so we sent a team out." Jiraiya started. "Kakashi, Asuma, and Kurenai were chosen. It was meant to be a recon mission, just get out and find out what was going on, pursue if needed. A bit out of the village walls... Kakashi and the others stumbled upon Orochimaru and one of his subordinates, who we now know was Kabuto, in the process of testing a new jutsu."

Tsunade snorted. "Of course... Orochimaru is always making new techniques. It's never enough for him."

"Right." Jiraiya nodded slightly. "This jutsu... Kakashi thought fast and activated the sharingan eye that he has, and it allowed him to copy the technique... just in time for Orochimaru and Kabuto to disappear. The jutsu was supposedly something like substitution, only you replace yourself with something far away. _Really_ far away."

"But they messed it up." Shizune interjected, putting TonTon down and letting him walk, holding his leash. "Right?"

"Wrong." Jiraiya answered. "It did exactly what it was supposed to do. It _is_ a replacement technique, but that's just an exchange rule. Most techniques that seem to suggest teleportation still have you replace yourself with something, even if it's a grain of dust or a blade of grass. Thing is, most techniques like that are able to move you to places you've never seen because they're not far away."

"So Kakashi tried to follow them... and couldn't, because you have to move to a place you've seen, and they didn't know what Orochimaru had seen, and therefor where he'd gone. Long range techniques usually only work with places you've seen before."

"Exactly." Jiraiya nodded. "So they go down to where the two were practicing this jutsu, and find three things. A dirty ball, a photo, and a notebook. The notebook was Kabuto's, and low and behold the page it was on was everything about the jutsu in question. Sadly the rest was blank, and a lot of pages were ripped out."

Tsunade's brow furrowed. "Wait, he dropped it? No... Orochimaru wanted Kakashi and the others to know how to do it, if they left pieces there. He was toying with them!" She sighed. "Which certainly sounds like him... the snake. The missing pages had to be other things they were studying at the time."

He smirked and chuckled. "You're good at this, Tsunade. Anyway, the notes talked about an earlier jutsu they were practicing. It was supposed to make scroll theft easy. Working with replacement again, it was supposed to take something and switch it with something else of similar mass and shape. So say you took a blank scroll, you could use this jutsu to swap it with a scroll with jutsu or mission plans written on it without even entering the room it's stored in. They were practicing with just a piece of parchment, something went weird, and they ended up with a photograph of a house."

"An image, which they went to. Long range replacement by optical recognition." Tsunade seemed a bit shocked. "It's ingenious, even for Orochimaru... so the photo was of Loor's house, no telling where it came from."

Shizune looked a bit sad. "And he used that to get there... switching with the ball, which was probably somewhere in Loor's yard, which would be why it was dirty."

"Yep. It took Kakashi and the others a little bit to figure it out, but by the time they got there... a fight had already started. Orochimaru and Kabuto had gone exploring upon landing, went in the house, alerted the family dog... and started disposing of people as they appeared. The dog went first, then Loor's parents, then her siblings. They were just normal people... they couldn't fight him."

"And Loor tried to fight, right?" Tsunade asked. "And Kakashi saved her from getting herself killed?"

"No."

The women looked at him. "Huh?"

"Her friend, Fury, was present... she'd fainted early on. Loor held out longer, but she'd been screaming for everyone to run, and tried running herself. Eventually she was faced with Orochimaru, and froze. When she fainted Kakashi and the others had managed to get to them, and he kept Orochimaru from killing her."

Shizune and Tsunade looked surprised.

"She... was scared?" The elder blond asked.

"She tried to run?" Shizune seemed confused.

"Yeah..." Jiraiya sighed. "I guess that's why she's so hard boiled now. Watching your family die kinda messes you up."

The two women stared off for a while.

"Wait a moment, why had Kakashi and the others taken so long to get to them?" Shizune asked. "If they had seen all this, they should have gotten there faster, maybe even saved some of her family!"

"Where they landed." Jiraiya snickered, even though it shouldn't have been funny. "Loor's family has a fair bit of land, and most of that land is swampy. Of course, late August means the area is swelled by rain and the like... so they were trying to get their feet un-stuck. Usually a shinobi, three jonin no less, wouldn't get caught up in muck, but they weren't expecting to land in it. As Kakashi tells me, the stuff was like super glue."

There was silence, the story soaking in.

"So... where is she from?" Tsunade asked again.

"We think it's another world." Jiraiya answered. "They have no shinobi, and jutsu is like magic to them. Kakashi mentioned that Loor was really shocked when she got her first samplings. Of course, I'm sure Orochimaru has already started to do his homework on the place... which means he probably plans to take that world over when he's gotten a foot hold in this one... and that mark on Loor's neck..."

"A leash." Shizune gave, tugging on TonTon's leash to keep him from walking too far ahead. "He plans to use her... probably as a spearhead to attack the place, or as a research tool."

"Yeah." He sighed, shaking his head. "And I know Loor will never go to him on her own, but I'm worried that he might have some way of persuading her. She could end up being the very thing that kills her home, when she wants to protect it so much."

"Are we sending her home?" Tsunade asked. "Knowing all this, are we going to?"

"I don't know, Tsunade." Jiraiya looked at her. "You're the Hokage. You tell me."

* * *

Yeah, wordy again, and major info dump. At least I took the time to make Loor and Fury's being in Konoha make some semblance of sense!! It's better than most SI authors…

Oh well, I was gonna have a rant here, but I rather get to the next chapter.


	48. The Joke

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Forty Eight- The Joke**

Loor couldn't believe she'd told the story. The true story. She'd told Naruto everything about her home, Kingston Minnesota. About her house, about some of her best memories there... and the real story of how she came to Konoha, or at least what she knew of it. Of course she didn't know the jutsu that transversed between her home and this world, but she knew it was a jutsu that had gotten her into Konoha.

Naruto and nearly exploded when he found out that she actually froze and passed out when faced with Orochimaru for the first time.

"But-But-But Loor!" He had snapped at the time. "You don't get scared like... ever! I mean, sure, you get clingy in cities and all, but in fights you don't freeze! I've seen you, you can kick some serious butt when you want to!"

She had been dejected and downtrodden this entire conversation. "Sure I can Naruto..." She muttered sarcastically. "In every major fight I've been in... every major fight here, something has happened to me. Chunnin exams, Orochimaru marked me. I passed out and woke up with a couple of cracked ribs and a curse. Chunnin finals, Fury got marked and I ended up nearly killing myself fighting her, and then when Gaara went all Shukaku I couldn't do a damn thing. When we met Itachi I tried to steal that fish-guy's sword to keep him from sawing your limbs off, but Itachi handled me like I was a baby and nearly strangled me to death. And now this thing with Orochimaru... I didn't land a single hit on Orochimaru, and Kabuto... he wasn't even winded during our fight."

She had a heavy frown on her face, her teeth grinding together, her fists balled.

"I want to kill him... but how am I supposed to go up against that bastard when I can't even fight people several levels under him?"

He stared at her.

She had pretty much called herself weak.

"...Loor..."

"Naruto, I gotta face it. All I've got is... a big attitude..." She lifted one hand, looking at it. "And a frail little body."

"But Loor, you told me that you hit that fish guy with Ryu, right? Kisame and Itachi... you stumbled in on them in the middle of the night when you went for a walk and things got violent, and you got him, didn't you?"

"I nicked him." she snorted. "I cut the tip of his nose. Not exactly a body blow."

"What about Neji? You went up against him! And so what if you lost that fight, you got as close to killing him as he got to killing you! And when you first got here, you fought against Hinata, and she had to use the byakugan to beat you. Without training at all, you were able to fight a genin and make her break a sweat! That's something to be proud of, believe it!" He had gotten in front of her at this point, walking backwards to get in her face. "I bet if we fought there'd be no telling who would win, and I went to the chunnin finals! For the near four months of training you've done... that's really impressive! Most people my age have been training for at least four years, from being in the academy!"

She didn't look up at him. "Neji... Neji's a pompous ass. He got what he deserved from me. If he didn't have the byakugan I would have beaten him..." She frowned slightly, distracted. "I need to beat him."

Naruto got the feeling that she stopped listening at Neji's name, her thoughts going in a different direction.

"That's what I need..." She muttered more to herself, as if she'd forgotten Naruto was there. "A fight I can win, but no one on easy street. Not Hinata, I want to face her when she's a challenge... but no, Neji... I can be proud of a victory over him." She smirked at Naruto now, looking up. "I get it, I've been biting off more than I can chew... but you don't get better by chewing on little things. I gotta go after Neji again, and I gotta beat him. He'll be my test, to see if I made any progress on this trip."

"Loor... that look you're giving me is a bit scary..." Naruto gave, trying not to trip over his feet while walking backwards still.

She wasn't listening to him, still musing to herself. "If I beat Neji... I might stay for one more month, maybe two, just watch Lee... to make sure he gets better once Tsunade sees him... but if I lose, then I have to stay till I can beat him. I have to stay till I can rub it in his face that I'm better than him."

Naruto stepped to the side, stopping and grabbing her shoulder. This caused her to stop and to come back to the real world with a shock, gasping and turning to look at him.

"Hm?!" She stared at him. "Sorry... I zoned out!" She giggled, rubbing the back of her head.

"I noticed..." He shook his head. "You're a bit obsessed with fighting Neji, believe it!"

"I'm a bit obsessed with beating the jerk." Loor snorted, beginning to walk again, Naruto at her side. "Last time I fought him just to set his head on straight... idiot found out I was an orphan and almost started opening doors for me, you know what I mean? Once I informed him that I'd have none of that we got back to our usual behavior and then had a spar..." She smirked at Naruto. "And you already know that story."

"Yeah... though didn't you say he'd only do a rematch with you if you got a headband?" Naruto asked. "You'd have to become a genin... and that isn't easy."

She giggled at him. "Naruto, if you can do it, I can do it." She shrugged. "Not that I have time to be playing ninja. I'll just have to talk him into it, is all."

He shook his head. "Man, you and Neji... it's almost as bad as me and Sasuke on some days."

"I'll take your word for it." She shrugged. "I don't get along with Sasuke either... but I've only talked to the guy like... twice. I have my reasons for not liking him... and Sakura isn't on my favorites list either. She's just... pathetic."

"Hey!" Naruto snapped. "I get not liking Sasuke, but Sakura is cool! I mean... she's scary when she's mad..."

"That as it may be, something about her screams useless to me." She rolled her eyes. "I get the feeling that she makes a better cheer leader than a shinobi."

Naruto opened his mouth to argue, then shut it. "Well... I admit she doesn't do much in fights. And she's always screaming for Sasuke whenever we do get in a tight spot. Honestly, I don't think she's ever punched someone..."

"Exactly." She snorted. "Anyone crying for someone to protect them all the time... she's a child."

"But-" He went to defend, "Sakura hits me every time she gets annoyed with me, which is a lot... and trust me, it hurts! I think she might hit harder than Sasuke does! But she always hits me..."

"Oh God..." Loor felt disgust cropping up. "She's not just pathetic, she's class B pathetic."

"Eh?"

"Okay, Naruto, I explained that kids, where I'm from, are stuck going to school for thirteen years, right? We go in around the age of five or six, and finish around the age of eighteen, and most people go for more school, right? I explained this? Well, you meet a lot of people at school, and I tend to categorize people I meet. There were all talk tough guys, gossip girls, the relationship dependent groups, and so on and so forth. Of course, there were the pathetic people in there too, the people who just had no hope of fighting for themselves, ever."

"Right, I get it." He nodded. Loor had told him that school had hundreds of kids in it, not just the fifty or so students the ninja academy had every year.

"Well, there's two types of pathetic. What I'd call class A pathetic are people who are truly lost. They'll never stand up for themselves because they just can't. They're too frail, or really shy, or something like that. Class B pathetic, on the other hand, are people who _could_ be strong, but would rather sit on the side and watch other people take care of their problems." She sighed. "I hate these people with a bloody passion... but the good news is that most of them can be helped."

He gave her a look, as if wondering if this 'help' was going to be painful for Sakura. "Are you gonna try and help her?"

She shrugged. "Depends. If I see that it's getting on more nerves than just mine, I might step in... but I almost never try to help someone like that if it's just annoying me." She shrugged. "Not unless I have to deal with the person every day, and then I just end up yelling at them until they fight back."

"Have you ever yelled at Fury?"

That question caught her off guard.

"I... no." She seemed disappointed in herself. "I couldn't. To tell the truth, she and I are very different, and the way I view life and the way she does makes me secretly hate her from time to time, as I'm sure she secretly hates me. She thinks everything, in a good relationship, is supposed to be sunshine and rainbows. That there's no pain involved, and true friends never yell at each other. I know better, and honestly I'm sure the slightly rough friendship is the much more satisfying one... but she's lived the way she has far too long."

"So what, you just deal with her?" He didn't know Loor to deal with anyone doing something that made her angry or annoyed. The girl tended to lash out.

"I used to, but since we got to Konoha... before we met your team, we had an argument. She wanted to stay here, but I was still set on going home. Usually I'd try to find some middle ground, but I just lost it at her. I exploded, and she exploded back. We stayed away from each other till Kakashi and you guys got back. We met you guys, and then Kakashi had us spar, remember? We started fighting as if we hated each other."

"Oh yeah, you guys started calling each other names, and eventually Kakashi called the fight off because you two were being too emotional." He smirked. "And then Kakashi sensei put you guys through the bell exercise."

Loor gave a half hearted chuckled. "He could have very well saved our friendship with that stunt, by making us work together. But still... I can't help but feel that things will never be the same between Fury and I. Maybe I should yell at her now... maybe she could take it now, without running away." She shrugged. "But I don't know. I always thought the only person that could present the truth of life to her would be someone she didn't know at all, or hated, so there'd be no emotional damage to focus on, just the intended lesson."

"That wouldn't work." Naruto muttered.

"Hm?" She giggled. "I thought this was my department."

"It is... but if someone I didn't know or didn't like came up and started yelling at me about something that was wrong with me, I'd probably shrug it off. You don't care what that person thinks, so you don't feel the need to change. It has to be a friend who's willing to sever ties just to help the other person become better, believe it!"

Loor frowned to herself, nodding. He did make sense...

And wasn't that the way with Gaara?

She winced at the thought, but it was true.

There was a connection there, and she was willing to sever it along with her connection to life itself just to help him... and last she had seen of him he was on the road to getting better, even if it was a rough road full of nightmares and obstacles.

Her road was full of nightmares too... but she wasn't sure what problem she was suffering for.

Had he changed her?

So much time spent with Gaara, Loor had to question it... had they made an exchange? Had she traded something with him, taught a little and learned a little? She didn't feel any different, but that's because she lived with herself every day.

"Loor? You okay? You got all quiet all of the sudden..."

She came back to reality, jumping as she found Naruto's face rather close to hers.

"Oh, uh, yeah, I'm fine!" She stopped walking. "Maybe we should get back to the others."

Naruto nodded slightly. "Yeah... I guess. But hey, are you gonna tell Jiraiya about... y'know, what happened to you?"

Loor looked back at the adults, who were pretty far behind them, looking to be deep in conversation themselves. "You know, I get the feeling he already knows... he seems to be the informed type."

* * *

"Is that all you can do? Faster!"

"Sensei, I can't!"

"If that's what you believe, then it's true, but allow me the chance to change your mind!"

Fury yelped, diving out of the way and rolling, feeling the edge of a kunai skim her back. It was the same training as the day before, only she had a new outfit for Neji to rip to shreds, a loose gray top and a pair of Kiba's pants with a belt so it'd fit her slim form.

Why was he doing this? Didn't she move fast enough the day before? Her muscles were still sore, she was hardly doing half her norm, and yet Neji told her she had to not only go as fast as the day before, but faster.

Something sharp whizzing over her head reminded her that she'd held still for too long. She felt some of her hair go with it. She quickly moved again, slinging around a tree and panting, trying to listen for the sound of a weapon slicing through the air, not her heart beating in her ears.

_Left, it's from the left! _

She moved around the tree she had just come around, hearing three solid thunks of things that had missed her. Had she any idea where her sensei was she would have punched him, but in the middle of the woods he was as easy to find as a needle in a haystack. He moved the second he threw something, so that was no way to track him.

_Right!_

She ducked according to the whistling, diving forward and then tacking her way up a tree, getting to the first branch she could reach and tucking her legs under herself, kicking off while huffing, landing on another one several feet away.

Why not throw something back? Maybe she couldn't run up and find his hiding place, but perhaps she _could_ throw a weapon back at him.

_Up and behind! _

"Shit, shit, shit, shit!" She gave through clenched teeth, quickly putting a charge of chakra to her feet and moving to hang under the branch she'd landed on. In the move she'd turned to see the direction the attack was coming from, watching four kunai land solid where she'd been standing.

Without thinking, she grabbed one and fired it back.

She heard Neji grunt and felt a flush of victory.

Two seconds later the same kunai came back, aimed at her head. Quick thinking and good abs let her curl up and out of the way before being hit. "Oh _GEEZ!" _

"You're lucky I caught that." Neji's voice came from the brush. "If I'd been hit I would have made it harder to escape than that."

Fury growled at him, tempted to pull out something he'd taught her.

Like Neji had said at the beginning of her training, there was a jutsu that TenTen never perfected that he wanted to teach her, something like a homing system for shinobi tools. The targeting part was the part that didn't work though, and Neji had taught her all that he knew and told her to try and perfect it.

In the past month and some... she'd had more than enough time to figure something out, not that she'd told him. She wanted Loor to be the first to know about it; first hand. Still, she was tempted to show him.

She nearly had once or twice, but he never held still long enough for her to get locked onto him. It took her a long time to target, but she was sure she'd get faster with practice.

"That's enough for today."

She looked in the direction of his voice, surprised. "Huh?"

She lost her focus, her feet becoming unstuck from the branch she'd been hanging off of.

She cursed, turning in the air and focusing properly to land without harming herself, as she had been twenty feet up. She was lucky that there was nothing at the bottom of the tree, or she would have crashed into it and hurt herself for sure.

Neji appeared from the shadows in the woods as she became surer of her feet, still panting. She could feel her heart beating between her ears.

"Pathetic." He muttered, shaking his head. "Trying to throw back at me, as if you _could_ hit me."

"Yeah... I guess..." She muttered, shrinking. "You're pretty fast..."

He stared at her, since she wasn't arguing. She didn't get why he was so surprised, she usually didn't argue. She'd just agree with him so he'd leave off once training was over.

His brow furrowed. He wasn't surprised, he was annoyed.

"Can't you fight back? If you can throw a kunai at me you can stand up for yourself when I call you pathetic."

"Is that why you called me pathetic?" She asked slowly, looking up at him since he was taller than her. "You want me to fight you?"

"I want you to _fight_ . You have a killer instinct buried somewhere in your mind."

Fury tried to remember the version of Neji she'd met in the hospital, the one that'd congratulated her for breaking free from Loor's bondage by hating her, told her that she was worth of the title shinobi. It seemed he was rather positive after getting a needle stuck in his back, but the second he was on his own two feet again he was a lot less humble and back to his arrogant self.

"Do you even have the courage to speak to me?" He asked pointedly.

"Why are you doing this?!" She snapped at him. "It's confusing! You were so nice to me when you were injured, and the second we get out here you become captain asshole!"

She panted, blushing and lowering her face. "...sorry... that was harsh." She muttered, bowing slightly in apology.

She could almost sense him rolling his eyes. "Fury, you are the queen of apology. Life is harsh. To live through it you must be equally harsh, as I am with you. I meant what I said to you before, but I am not your friend. View me as your worst enemy." He brushed past her. "It's better that way. When I ask you to hit me, I hope you won't hesitate because I aim for you to hate me more than Loor does."

Fury gave a half hearted chuckle. "I don't think that's possible." She muttered under her breath. "The second she hears I've been training with you, she's going to blow a gasket."

"Perhaps." He answered her, which made her jump because she thought she was being quiet enough not to be heard. "I think she will lose her temper when she hears of your victory, not your means of victory."

She turned to face him. "You know she's going to want to fight you again, right?"

"She will not." He answered. "I refuse her rematch till she is a proper shinobi. There is no pride in beating her as a civilian... she wishes me to view her as equal, which I never will. Instead, when you and she become genin I will show her who is dominate..."

"She won't take that. Loor never waits, and even if she fought you again and lost again, she'd keep coming back. She never gives up."

Fury envied that.

He snickered, shaking his head. "So I was correct to write her off as a joke. She's like Lee, an overzealous failure. She can't see that she's lost because she's too busy trying to beat the people who have real talent."

Was he really talking about Loor like that? Didn't he admit that Loor nearly beat him in their fight? What the hell was his problem, talking dirt about her like this... it was lower than low, and even Fury found herself being irked by him.

She also realized she'd been defending Loor this whole conversation.

For all of her sour envy, perhaps her talk with Kiba the other night had inspired some of it into admiration. She was still disgusted with Loor's perpetual happiness, but the girl and certainly made a good point in hating this guy, in fighting him.

"What about me, Neji?" Fury asked. "What if _I _ asked for a rematch with you?"

There was a pause.

"I'd say the result would be the same as our last fight, seeing as it's not very far behind us."

"I'm asking if you'd accept, not the result."

He turned his head slightly. "I'd take you."

She blinked twice. No, he was lying. Not about fighting her, about writing Loor off as a joke. He didn't believe that himself.

If he was willing to fight Fury again, _Fury_ was the joke. He knew he could beat her. Loor, on the other hand, was someone he refused to face.

He feared losing to her, having to acknowledge her.

"You're going to fight Loor when she gets home." Fury said, sounding solid and strong.

"Who's going to make me, you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her. "And what army?"

"You're going to fight her." Fury said, walking up to him and past him. "Trust me, you'll fight her. Then we'll see who the joke is."

_Not me._ _I don't care what you think about me, you're no one but a jerk to me... but as passionately as Loor hates you, I know she cares about what you think enough to beat the living piss out of you. Or maybe she just doesn't care... but as far as I know, no one has called her a joke and gotten away with it._

_No one. _

* * *

Moving right along.

Next chapter.


	49. Getting Home

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Forty Nine- Getting Home**

It had to be midnight, or later. Loor would have been grousing about her feet hurting, but she'd never be the first to complain. Actually, she'd never be the second to complain because Jiraiya had already beaten everyone to first, yipping about his recently healed leg before nightfall, which triggered lively conversation between him and Tsunade. Somewhere along the lines of insulting her skills as a healer.

It was shortly after said conversation that Naruto and Loor decided to pull their little trick to make sure the adults would go faster. Tsunade had been walking behind Jiraiya, but after some needling from Loor she took the lead, and Naruto in turn needled Jiraiya, which left the two eldest of the group battling for the lead and the three youngers (plus one pig) to try and keep up.

Of course... when two Sannin start racing, keeping up is a bit out of the question.

Thank the powers that be that Naruto knew what roads to take to get home.

It was late night before they'd caught up with the adults, who were winded but still throwing insults at each other like an old married couple.

It was midnight when they passed a landmark Loor knew.

Loor remembered the shrine they'd stopped at on the way out, the day they'd left Konoha. Of course, that day it had just been her, Naruto, and Jiraiya, so Shizune and Tsunade would have no idea why she and Naruto looked at each other and snickered while passing the little building.

A light breeze made the bells housed in the shrine chime, their tone low.

Tsunade glanced back at the two teens. "What's up with you two? You laugh at a shrine, you're gonna get yourselves cursed."

"Already am." Loor giggled, though it should have been no laughing matter. She was too tired though. She tended to be all emotional extremes when she was sleepy, and they'd been walking since early that morning. She was not only sleepy, she was spent.

But the shrine meant they couldn't be three hours out of the village.

Three more hours... and it would be home.

Well... almost home for her.

* * *

It was early, the point before dawn when the world would darken before light made its first touches to the earth. At such a time it would seem the world was pitch black, like a picture someone spilled an inkbottle on. One who has watched night change to day could tell you that for a few seconds you almost wonder if the light is gone forever, and if the dark will cover everything for the rest of all days.

But as we all know... the light comes. It always comes.

In this darkness, Lee stirred in his hospital bed. It was his usual habit of waking up very early, a habit that was yet to die, even after being in the hospital for two months going on three. Automatically his mind would go 'time to move!!' but he'd wake to his broken body.

When he woke it wasn't just his broken body he woke to. At first he thought that he had somehow gotten worse, as he felt oddly heavy. It was like an extra bit of weight on his stomach, making his usual depressed morning mood sink to new depths.

Would this nightmare never end?

Why had he been here so long? So long when every day on his back meant only more hours he'd have to spend repairing the damage from his atrophied muscles, so long that he almost felt himself losing hope that he'd ever recover.

The childish hope he'd always had, about everything.

That's when the weight on his stomach moved.

He felt more awake all of the sudden, his strong arm tensing in case he needed to defend himself from whatever the black of the pre-dawn hid. "... who is there?" He asked slowly. "Tell me who you are."

There was a yawn, decidedly female, and decidedly very tired. "Mmm...? Lee, it's me... Loor."

He almost jumped at her voice. It'd been a month, a week, and two days, he'd counted! He had to wonder if he was dreaming, but something of the shadows told him that he wasn't. He rarely had shadows in his dreams, just his hopeful demeanor.

His hope felt resurrected as she lent over to hug him. There was no mistaking one of Loor's hugs, no matter how weak said hug was. The girl was obviously in poor shape, or at least lacking sleep, but there was no mistaking her warm embrace.

He returned that embrace, his strong arm pulling her onto the bed with him for her to lay at his side, holding her tightly and bending his head into her shoulder almost instantly.

He sobbed. His loneliness welled up in her presence, all of his emotions rushing themselves.

"Lee..." She could hear him crying, of course. She re-secured her arms around his neck, petting his hair. "Lee, what's wrong? I'm here for you."

"...wrong?" His voice came through his sobs and the darkness. "N-no, Loor... nothing is wrong... now that you are home... I feel so much better..."

She twitched at the word 'home,' but didn't contest him. Instead she sat up slightly, offering the sleeve of the coat she was wearing for his tears. He took it happily, sniffing before grabbing her again as if she were some sort of cure to a poison, a medicine to an illness he'd taken on while she was away.

She became worried. "Are you sure... everything is okay?" She asked this through a yawn, just trying to stay awake for him.

He had bent his head again, into the crook of her neck, his sobs dying down. "So much has happened while you have been away, Loor... so very much. Fury..." He trailed off.

She shook her head. "I don't want to hear about my sister just yet... I know she's probably done some things I wouldn't agree with by now, but I don't care about that right now."

"What do you care about?" He asked, surprised with her. Usually her sister was something she always wanted to talk about or hear about.

What was this other thing?

"You've helped me before when I've been lost to my own emotions..." She paused to take a deep breath as she switched gears. The happy little reunion was over as his joyful tears were wiped away from his face.

She _needed_ to face down the monsters in her own head.

"Can I talk to you, Lee?" She asked, her voice making her sound as if she were worn thin. "I know I'm... I've just gotten home, but some stuff has happened and... well..."

"Please, Loor." He welcomed, leaning back for her to lean on him. "You know that I am here for you as you are here for me." He smiled, though the darkness hid it. "Anything you wish to ask, the hour is never too early or too late, the time never too abrupt."

"But..." She sighed. It was almost as if she _wanted _ him to tell her that he didn't want to hear of it, that he was tired and just wanted to lay there with her.

"No buts. If you feel you need to say something... ask something, do it."

Why did his voice have to welcome her so?

Welcome her to say things that would hurt him.

"When you love someone... but you know you're never going to see them again, how do you let go?"

Loor had been away for a month, a week, and two days. Lee was sure that _this_ problem would have been gone by her return, that she would have spent enough time with her own mind that she'd be over and done with it, or at least convinced herself that she'd gotten over _him_ ... but she had not. No, she probably hadn't touched the issue in her mind. She'd let the thought sit, and burn a hole in her head... and now she had to ask Lee how to let go. How to do something she probably wanted to do, yet hated to do.

She wanted to let go of Gaara.

"It just... it hurts me." She muttered. "I don't tell anyone, and I try to ignore it myself... but it's there. Through everything I've done this month... I know it was there, the ache. And it got worse the more I tried to stop thinking about him. I keep telling myself I'm never going to see him again... _ever._ Sadly..." She hefted a sigh. "That thought almost makes me want to break down."

That was an image he didn't want crossing his mind. Her, crying, for any reason.

"I am sorry..." He hugged her close. "I do not know how one lets go of another. Look at me... I am yet to let go of you."

She nodded, sinking into him, feeling the warmth there, the comfort. "The worst is that... I saw him again."

Lee felt a twinge of jealousy, but held it in his mind and said nothing but, "You did?"

"Yeah... they were in hiding." She paused, biting her lip. "You see..." She paused again, as if saying just one word after exposing herself like this, admitting her feelings, was going to be the hardest thing she'd ever do. "Gaara... He got hurt. No way to be if you're trying to cross the desert. So instead of going south, towards home, they hid out in one of the northern cities."

"Where no one would be looking for them... and you ran into them on your trip with Jiraiya-sama and Naruto-kun, yes?"

She nodded. She didn't want to talk anymore, but she wanted him to know. It was like he was the only one left that she could tell. Fury would tune her out for sure, and there was no one else that she was close enough to. No one else that she could talk to like this.

"What happened?" He ventured, trying to prod words out of her.

"I told him to let go." She muttered, light leaking into the room. "I told him... that we'd never see each other again, and that he had to let go so he'd be open to someone else when he found someone else."

"And what about you?" Lee questioned. "Do you think he, or you, _can_ let go?"

She shook her head, sighing. "That's not a question. We... _I_ , have to."

He nodded slightly, watching her in the near silence, their breathing and birds calling outside being the only things that padded such silence. So many things he wanted to say now, wanted to do, but couldn't. She was only just back, and in the first light of dawn she looked like she'd been through a war and back.

She had laid her head down on his chest, closing her eyes and hefting a long sigh. "It's over with him." She said out loud, more to herself than to him. "It has to be... before it kills me."

Lee felt himself pull his head back, almost in shock, to look at her. Did she say that? _Before it kills me,_ she said, so sincere he hadn't the ability to doubt her.

"Loor." He muttered. "You have changed."

She looked up at him, her eyes still glazed with water, still shining with raw emotion. But she didn't expend it yelling and with violence, denying any affections she might've had. No, she admitted her problem calmly with the need for resolve. "What do you mean?"

"You... you are speaking freely about your emotions, what needs to be done with them. Before you would deny that you even loved, and now you not only admit it, you admit that you must let go of that love." He frowned slightly, a rueful smirk threatening to take his lips. "I do not know if I should be happy that you are more open to yourself or heartbroken that you have accepted the fact that you fell in love with someone other than me."

She winced. Of course, this conversation must have hurt him deeply, but she couldn't hold back just for his emotions. He was just as strong as her, he could handle it.

He sighed as she said nothing. "All I can offer to you in advice is that letting go doesn't mean that you stop loving a person..." He paused, trying to think of the right words. "Just that you stop chasing them. Simply... stop trying to grab something you simply can not reach."

She nodded, though she took it with a grave and sad face. He wanted to add on that such things can come back to you. When you let go of something, and it comes back, they say that it is yours forever. He wanted to say this to her, to give her some hope, but doing such a thing also felt like torturing her. Hope...

Hope was truly something that could kill a person as well as save them. Having hope in the right things, having hope in the wrong things, or just having hope in anything. Saviors and killers, all of them. It was just a matter of which grounds you trusted, and which you didn't.

Loor wasn't a creature of hope. She didn't want to trust any ground. He could see it, that she didn't want any ground to try and trust, or to know about possible ways to get what she wanted. No, she'd been hurt enough.

She wanted no more.

He feared what would happen when she got Fury's issues on top of everything else.

Loor laid her head down on his chest, closing her eyes. He welcomed her there, putting his arm around her shoulders again and letting his head down to his pillow.

She deserved rest for all she'd been through. He was sure he'd hear her stories another time.

* * *

"Well that's a face I haven't seen all month... was kinda looking forward to never seeing it again."

Loor woke up to the voice of a woman, and slowly cracked her eyes to note the good doctor leaning over Lee's bed to prod her awake. At once, Loor had to crack a grin at the woman. "Aw, Dr. Sumeyo, I missed you too."

The taut faced doctor stood straight, hands on her hips. It was full blazing morning now, and though Loor couldn't have gotten more than four hours of sleep total she felt a hell of a lot better than when she'd first gotten into Lee's room after finally arriving back in Konoha.

Loor noted that Lee wasn't under her anymore. He must have gotten up already, probably for physical therapy or something along those lines. He'd also been so kind as to put the pillow under her head for her.

"What are you doing in here, Loor?" The doctor snapped, glaring. "Unless you're deathly injured, I don't want to see you in here. Do I make myself clear?" She then gave a sly smile. "Unless you were considering seeing that psychiatrist I suggested."

Loor sat up from Lee's bed, yawning and stretching. "No way in hell, lady." She then looked at Sumeyo, crossing her legs. "Anyway, I've been out of the village for a month and some, I just needed to see one of my friends."

"Then why didn't you go see your sister?" Sumeyo asked hotly. She held her glare too, until something dawned her. "Wait a moment, you said you went out of the village? So shortly after the Hokage's death...?" The woman paused. "You didn't go with Jiraiya-Sama, did you?"

Loor giggled, leaning back to Lee's pillow and crossing her hands under her head. "Actually I did. And... though I don't know if it's passed through the grapevine yet, but we kinda brought the next Hokage back home with us. Perhaps you know the name Tsunade?"

Loor felt particularly smug as Sumeyo's mouth came slightly open.

"_The_ Lady Tsunade?" The doctor asked slowly. "She's returned to the village? _You_ helped bring her here?"

Loor grinned. Screw smug, she was somewhere beyond there but didn't know the word for it. Either way, it looked like Sumeyo was finally off hating Loor for punching her two and a half months ago.

"Yeah. Didn't you know? She was nominated to be the next Hokage, so Jiraiya, Naruto, and me were sent out to find her. No idea where the lady would be, but she'd coming around here later to see a couple of your patients. Sasuke, Kakashi, and Lee-kun here."

Sumeyo looked like she was about to start shaking in excitement. She forgot about lecturing Loor and beat feet out of the room, probably to tell the rest of the nursing staff.

Loor smirked. Usually, she wasn't one to gossip like that, but it got rid of the pushy doctor and let her walk out of the hospital with no more bother.

Anyway, she herself had to find Tsunade. She'd probably be busy with Hokage stuff, but she wasn't going to allow a little thing like that get in the way of her seeing the people she promised to see.

Tsunade _would_ see Lee. She'd make sure of it.

She left the hospital, bound for the Hokage building, which was her best bet. Tsunade would probably be talking to officials and the like, regardless of the late night they'd all had.

Stepping out into Konoha, in full light, almost made Loor jump.

She hadn't seen the place in a month and some, and even though she'd ran through the streets the night before she hardly remembered, and everything looked different in the light. People were in the streets, though the air was so much more relaxed compared to Tanzaku city. She rather liked Konoha just for that, being big without being busy.

She looked left and right before taking off down the street, knowing that the hospital wasn't too far from the Hokage building. Just a few blocks down, if she remembered correctly, which she did. Soon enough she was walking along the wall that went around the Hokage estate.

She remembered when she'd stuck Neji to that wall, and giggled to herself, a little more bounce in her step as her mood slowly improved.

Walking in this village again made her feel happy, and human. She'd been stuck in survival mode too long. She was almost skipping by the time she made it to the gate to the Hokage building, which was always open.

All of the sudden, someone crashed into her from behind.

She yelped, falling over while whatever crashed into her ran over her without so much as a 'sorry!' or 'excuse me!' yelled before running off.

Apparently someone was in a hurry.

Loor quickly looked up, seeing a blue scarf flying behind the person that had run over her. This person was short, with dark brown hair, wearing a T and shorts.

Loor growled slightly. "Kony..."

She'd met him when she'd first come to Konoha and hadn't seen him since right before the chunnin exams, but she still remembered him. He was the kid named after the guy who founded the village, Konohamaru, and Sarutobi's grandson. The kid wasn't even a genin yet as far as she knew, but it would seem that academy students could still mow people over.

She liked the kid... but she wasn't going to overlook him running her over.

"Loor!"

She glanced behind her while getting up. "Hey, Naruto, what brings you down here?" She asked as she watched Naruto walking up behind her. He looked rather determined at the moment.

"Making sure Tsunade remembers to go to the hospital." Naruto gave, getting to her as she got to her feet. "Why were you lying on the ground?"

"I got ran over..." She looked in the direction of the Hokage building. Konohamaru had already gotten in and had been walking the stairs that were built along the outside of the building to get to the main area, which was the second floor. "Someone was in a real hurry, I guess."

"Well let's go!" Naruto shouted. "I'm in a hurry too, believe it! The longer Sasuke sits in that bed, the more training me an Sakura lose!" He took off running.

Loor snorted, getting right on his heels. No one left her in the dust.

Soon enough, she found herself running up the same stairs that she'd seen Konohamaru on from afar. She almost questioned if they were allowed in to Hokage building, but Naruto seemed to treat it as public domain, so she wouldn't worry. She worried about not tripping on the stairs, eventually coming to the top of the open air stair case, both she and Naruto turning on the landing and leaping into the doorway that led into the building.

Naruto instantly butted heads with someone else.

"Ow!" Naruto shouted, rubbing his head while falling on his butt. "What's the big idea you...?"

Loor stared at the two boys as Konohamaru, also on his butt rubbing his head, and Naruto stared at each other. Eventually Kony looked up at her too, looking fairly shocked in general.

"N-Naruto-_Nii-san!" _ He yelped, staring at Naruto. "And Loor_-kaa-san!" _

Loor stared at Kony. Kaa-san... she'd heard that before, or something like it, but she didn't remember what it meant.

For some reason she got the feeling that she wouldn't like the definition.

"Konohamaru..." Naruto got to his feet, helping his short friend up. "What are you doing here?"

"Lookin' for someone." He shrugged, glancing about.

"Really?" Naruto questioned. "Me too. Did you see a scary lady go through here? She's blond, busty, and old. Well, actually, she looks really young, but she's actually like, fifty, or something."

Kony, who had now gotten to his feet, looked rather shocked. Naruto gave him a look, and seemed to understand that Konohamaru _had_ seen such a woman go by.

Loor gave a sigh to herself. Thank God! She was worried she was going to have to look for a lot longer to find Tsunade.

The boys, on the other hand, were a lot louder. Both got in each other's faces, exploding and shouting at the same time. Naruto yelling "Where did she go?!" And Kony bellowing "Who is she?!"

They went back to staring.

Loor's face palmed.

"Who is she?" Naruto questioned. "Her name is Tsunade, and she's the Fifth Hokage, believe it!"

Kony's jaw dropped a little. "Fifth...?" His gaze became downcast.

Loor foresaw trouble. Something about this situation was upsetting Kony. While Naruto was yapping on about Tsunade being a medical woman Loor was watching Konohamaru's face sink into the depths of despair and anger... the anger of a child that had little reason to it.

The boy balled his fists. "No!" He shouted, cutting Naruto off. "I won't believe it! It's not true!" The kid took off for the door, nearly knocking Naruto over. "I can't believe that!!"

"Kony!" Loor shouted after him, her instant need to help taking over as she went to chase after him. The kid was on the run down the stairs of the Hokage building. "Konohamaru!"

She glanced back at Naruto, sighing. "Can I meet you at the hospital?" She asked.

Naruto looked at her for a moment before smiling and nodding. "Yeah. Go get him, _Kaa-san!" _

She gave him a dirty look. "What the hell does that mean?"

He smirked. "Mother."

She felt herself twitch, but took off after Kony anyway.

She had to help him. That was just her need with everyone.

* * *

One more, then I leave you people.


	50. Mother, Sister

**Markings-Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Fifty- Mother, Sister**

"Kony!"

Loor had never thought chasing a little kid could be so hard. She was usually faster than people Konohamaru's age, so it was a bit of an ego beating when someone of that age was making her break a sweat and then some. Of course, she had to remind herself that said kid _was_ in school to be a ninja, where she'd gone to school most of her life for math, science, and the like.

His age wasn't going to change the fact that he was a fast little so and so, and she hadn't done any long distance running since the last foot race she'd had with Naruto, which was before the trip out of Konoha.

So long story short... Kony eventually veered for the woods and lost her. He, living here, knew the forest better than she did. She was lost within moments, the kid gone. She had no idea how to track, so there'd be no finding him.

Didn't mean she didn't chase him a while after she'd lost him. Loor wasn't one to give up, but eventually the direction she was heading in led her over to where she could hear the sounds of squads training. Wincing she knew that Kony was long gone.

That hurt her. She really wanted to help. The poor kid had lost his grandfather, not just a leader... and she'd never heard of any other family. What if Konohamaru was all alone? An orphan, as of now.

He'd be just like her, the last of his family slaughtered by Orochimaru.

"Kaa-san..." She muttered to herself. What did it mean...?

_Mother. _

She pondered it as her feet found the way back to the main village, avoiding clearings that would probably have squads in them, people she didn't know. Why would Konohamaru call her mother? Decide to associate with her that way? The kid didn't know her that well...

But she had saved him once.

The memory came back to her. The day she'd first seen Kankuro and Temari. She'd been talking with Naruto when the kids, Kony and his two friends Mogi and Udon, came to see them. Then Sakura showed up, and Kony assumed that the pink haired girl was Naruto's girlfriend, which Kony got smacked for. When he got knocked back, he got knocked into Kankuro, who had been walking down the lane in the other direction.

Kankuro made it rather clear that he would rough Kony up if no one did anything, so Loor ran up and grabbed the kid. Kankuro had given her a smack to the stomach to push her back, but she came away with the kid, and herded the youngers away.

Heh... That was rather mother-like, being protective like that.

Had she really earned that title?

_Kaa-san. Mother. _

"Loor?"

The voice shocked her out of her thoughts, stopping to realize she'd come back into Konoha's streets. After stopping she slowly turned, looking behind her to where the voice had come from.

Loor opened her mouth, staring, her lips forming a word and then relaxing before trying again.

"Fury."

The sisters stood in the street, not three yards away from each other.

"Fury..." Loor addressed a second time, as if she didn't believe herself when she said it the first time. "You... you look..." She paused, thinking. "Older."

As Loor stared at Fury she found it was more than that. Fury walked closer, and Loor noted that her gait had changed. The Fury that Loor remembered was timid, shy, and shuffled as if she were walking on a road of eggs and feared cracking one if she took too big a step. This Fury took strong steps, as if she owned the world and aimed to have more.

Loor was tempted to take a step back as her old friend advanced, feeling as if she were going to be attacked. Fury's air...

Fury's air, her aura, her demeanor... was dangerous.

This much was obvious... something huge had changed.

"Really?" Fury asked once she was two feet away. "You haven't changed at all."

Was her voice different? To Loor it sounded so, even if it was just a question of quiality. Her quality was much more... adult. Fury's voice always had a childish sound to it, but now it was gone.

The moment grew tense. Loor felt herself pushing to breathe, felt herself _trying_ to set up for a fight because of the way Fury was looking at her. It was a look she'd seen before, on someone else, though she couldn't place whom. She had to say something, before things went sour.

"Can we go eat something?" Loor asked. "I'm broke, but--"

"No problem." Fury assured, cutting Loor off. "Ichiraku's okay? I haven't had ramen since you skipped town."

Loor stared. Did Fury just...?

Did she... cut her off? Fury never cut people off. Ever. She was always getting cut off and getting mad about it, always steamed that no one would ever let her talk.

What the hell was going on here?!

Slowly, Loor nodded, walking with someone. She wasn't sure it was her sister anymore, or even her friend. Fury was acting so strange, so headstrong...

So much like her, and yet not. There was Loor's confidence, yes, but there was arrogance, and an undertone of rage that created the seemings of calm.

Fury only got that way when she was really mad... but even then she didn't get quite like _this. _ There was more.

There had to be more.

"So how was your trip?" Fury asked along the way.

Loor gave her a wary look, feeling as if she could be attacked at any moment. She felt like a mouse walking along side a cat. A very pissy cat. "Interesting, to say the least." She answered. She wasn't going to mention the encounter with Orochimaru. No doubt Fury probably wouldn't take such news well.

Well... no doubt the old Fury wouldn't take such news well. Loor had no idea now. She was guessing.

She only guessed when someone was acting.

Was this super calm anger a front then?

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Naruto and I did a lot of training, and I learned a new ninjutsu. It's actually pretty cool. I'll show it to you some time."

Fury nodded as the arrived at the ramen bar, both of them placing their orders and sitting down. "You might be showing me sooner than you think."

"Hm?" Loor questioned this person sitting next to her. She was sure this wasn't Fury, even if in truth it was. It may not have been a genjutsu, or anyone pretending to be her, but even if the flesh was Fury the mind was not. The personality was no where close.

This person was completely different.

Last Loor checked... Fury didn't smirk unless she was talking about brutally murdering her father. But smirking Fury was, directing it at Loor, putting her elbow on the bar and resting her head in her hand. She looked upon Loor with that hunting gaze, that overly smug and arrogant smile. "I've been training with Neji, _Onee-san." _ She called her that with an almost teasing tone. "He taught me a few things, both about being a ninja... and about dealing with you."

Loor stared at Fury for a few moments. Her first reaction was to be pissed off that Fury was spending time with Neji, but she held it back. She simply stared, her lips becoming a thin line across her face.

"Do you want to know what I found out?" Fury asked.

Their food arrived, but neither of them moved to grab chop sticks.

"I hate you."

Loor's heart thudded in her chest.

Pain.

She knew that feeling. Too well, she knew the feeling of pain. Family, dead. Friends, lost. World, forgotten. But Fury, Fury was a link to sanity for Loor, a calming angel for the restless beast, the queen of apology paired off with the obnoxious bitch. Loor knew she needed Fury now and then... and liked to believe that Fury needed her.

She opened her mouth to say something. She had no idea what it was going to be, if it was going to be hurtful or hateful, screamed or whispered, but she knew she had to say something.

But why did it have to happen now?

Demons, death, Orochimaru, Kabuto, all rushed through her mind, plus this. Her little sister... her closest friend...

Staring her straight in the face and saying she hated her.

Slowly, Loor smirked back. "Do you now?" She turned to her ramen, taking a set of chop sticks and digging in. "That's nice."

It was Fury's turn to stare.

No tears? No screaming? Fury had been hoping for public humiliation of her sister, not a calm meal!

Loor looked back at Fury. "Your ramen is going to get cold. Eat."

Loor had just blown her off.

Fury felt it, the urge to bow her head and apologize, say she didn't mean it, that so many things had happened, that Neji was a jerk and wouldn't leave off, and that she had no idea what to do. She wanted to say that she missed her big sister, that she wanted things to go back to the way they were, and that the whole world had stopped making sense to her.

But she didn't. Instead of sad and apologetic she became angry, but kept it buttoned down. With a jerk in her movements that mirrored spite she turned to her bowl, grabbing the chop sticks and beginning to wolf her food like Loor was.

The two glanced at each other.

They raced. Of course, Loor won. She always ate every meal as if it was her last, while Fury usually picked at her food. The girl couldn't eat so quick, not even when she felt the competitive spirit.

"You're not the only one who learned a new trick in the past month." Fury said after she'd caught her breath from gulping hot food, paying for their meal and getting up to walk. "I'd love to show you."

Loor blinked, and smirked. "Really, Fury?" She asked, following. "Sounds interesting. Shall we say Gai sensei's usual training grounds, around nightfall?"

Fury almost grinned. This is exactly what she wanted. A fight between the two of them with no one watching and no holds barred. "Sounds great. You'll love my new move, Loor." She giggled. "It's to die for."

"Funny." Loor smirked, passing her sister, heading for the hospital. "So is mine."

* * *

"So, she hates me."

Loor was at the hospital, walking with Lee.

"I had tried to tell you when you arrived, but..." He shrugged. "Either way, I guess it is better that you learned directly from her, not from me."

"Yeah." She took a deep breath. "If I had heard it from you... I would have exploded for sure. Thanks to her telling me, I was able to keep my head. I don't understand why... but Fury being around tends to calm me down a little. She may not know it... but I need her." She giggled. "As weird as this will sound, she's my angel. The way she's acting now... I knew she had a beast, but I only saw it when her father was mentioned."

"It would seem that beast is eating at her." Lee muttered, sighing, looking overall dejected over the situation. "And... you are going to fight her? Are you sure that is a good idea? She has spent this whole month thinking of nothing but going up against you. She will be more than ready."

She sighed. "Sadly, so will I. I planned to make Neji my test subject for my new move... but Fury volunteered."

"Lee!!"

Both Loor and Lee looked up to see a group of people at the end of the hall. Naruto was at the lead, looking all sorts of happy, having been the one who yelled. Gai, Tsunade, and Shizune (holding TonTon, of course) were all behind him.

"Lee-chan, look and see!" Naruto was nearly jumping for joy. "Tsunade-sama is here! She's a great doctor, she's going to make your injury all better!"

Loor looked at Lee for a reaction, who looked at Tsunade in shock.

The two made eye contact, and something of a sad air was traded. This was more serious than Naruto made it out to be. Perhaps he was happy after seeing Kakashi and Sasuke practically come back from the dead after Tsunade had no more than touched their foreheads, and felt sure that Lee would be back to his best in no time, but Tsunade seemed to know that there were no phenomenon to be had here.

"Naruto." Tsunade said without looking. "Didn't you say you needed to meet with Iruka?"

"Oh, right!" Naruto nodded, turning slightly. "He offered to treat me to ramen!"

"You should go." The elder woman advised. "You don't want to be late."

"Right!" Naruto turned to Lee. "Good luck!" He shouted before running off.

Tsunade's chocolate brown gaze turned upon Loor.

"Do you have anywhere you need to be?" The medic asked pointedly.

Loor stared at her for a few moments before moving closer to Lee, grabbing his hand. "Yeah. Right here."

Lee said nothing but squeezed her hand in thanks that she would stand by him to support him.

The group made their way back to Lee's hospital room for the examination. Gai sensei eventually took the front of the group, near exploding in what seemed to be excitement that Lee would finally be made well. Of course that was the same blind hope that Naruto had been sent off for, but Tsunade couldn't send away Gai because he was a sensei.

Loor began to have a bad feeling about this. Tsunade obviously did.

They arrived in the hospital room and Lee pulled up a chair, putting it by his bed and sitting in it, putting his crutch aside and pulling down the top of his outfit when Tsunade directed him to do so. Loor quickly seated herself on Lee's bed, crossing her legs to look at him as he sat, watch him as Tsunade came forward and laid her hands on him to find what was wrong with him.

The new Hokage's frown deepened when she laid hands on him.

"I'm not trying to be rude. You should quit being a ninja."

Lee tensed, his emotions instantly welling up. Loor could see them on his face, his instant need to cry out in defiance, a need that he held in. He bit his lip, his cheeks flushing for a moment before he managed to calm down through a few breaths.

Loor reached for his hand again, feeling her own body tremble. She wanted to attack Tsunade... but it wasn't her fault.

Gai didn't get it. "Tsunade-sama, he doesn't need any of those jokes."

Tsunade shook her head as if to say 'no joke shit head.' "There are numerous bone fragments along the spinal canal. On top of that, they're deeply embedded." She looked at Lee. "You're in no shape to be carrying out missions as a ninja."

Lee was beginning to shake. He gripped Loor's hand with all he had in his, looking terrified.

Loor shed his hand, standing up on his bed to glare at Tsunade. "Do you have any idea what the hell you're saying, lady?!" She snapped. "Naruto and I brought you here to help him, not to tell him that his one and only goal in life is bust! Who the hell do you think you are, just telling him that?! Aren't you even going to try and help him?"

Gai had his mouth open, but it would seem Loor expressed exactly what he wanted to say, so he shut it.

Silence was left.

"Are there no other options?" Lee asked, his voice weak.

Tsunade sighed, shaking her head slightly. "Surgery, but not only is it something only I can do, but it will take a very long time, and there will be a very big risk involved." She closed her eyes, obviously depressed by this case. "At best, the chances of success are fifty percent, and failure means your death."

Loor stood on Lee's bed a while longer, but eventually fell. Tsunade's calm voice took the fight out of everyone, even Gai.

Lee eventually pulled his clothes back on, slowly getting up from the chair and mounting his crutch.

Gai moved to follow the boy as he left the room, but Shizune held him back, shaking her head.

Loor, on the other hand, didn't care. She ditched out of the room, following Lee and catching him before he'd left the hall.

"Lee-kun..." She looked at him, concerned, biting her lip. He was completely broken, it was obvious. Someone just told him that he'd never be able to live the life he wanted, that his hopes and dreams would never come true.

"Loor, I thank you for supporting me..." His dark eyes moved to look at her and then dashed away. "But I think that not even your way with words could help me at the moment."

Loor stopped walking, an abrupt stop. Her instinct was to grab him, hug him, and insist everything would sort out... but he was crushed in the same way she had been the night before.

He had lost hope, and he didn't want it anymore. His world had become the darkest of night with no dawn in sight, and he didn't want anyone telling him about it because he had enough of living on hope.

But he had also stopped when she had, as if he had some sense that his words possibly hurt her. And they did.

Lee was the second person to run from her that day. She was beginning to feel useless.

He turned, crutching back to her slowly. "Loor..." He put his hand on the side of her face.

In her mind she questioned what he could possibly say, because she was sure there was nothing.

And there wasn't, so he said nothing. He gave her a simple and meaningful look before turning again, crutching down the hall.

It wasn't that he didn't need her, he just needed to be alone.

* * *

"Sumeyo! How's it hanging?"

"Poorly, now that you're here. Don't you have a home to go to?"

"Yeah, kinda heading in that direction, but I wanted to ask a favor first."

"Loor, you, of all people, are the least likely to get a favor from me."

"Awe... don't be like that. C'mon, just listen to my request, please doc?"

"... fine."

"Thanks. A friend of mine and I are settling something tonight, and things could get messy. I was wondering if you could have some of the nursing staff tail me so if that is the case we can get help right away."

"... are they allowed to stop the fight?"

"No, not unless it's looking like certain death. But aside from that, just have 'em follow me. I think things could get really ugly."

...

"Fine. Two nurses, enough to carry someone if need be. It had better not be you they carry back."

"Heh, thanks doc. Trust me... it won't be."

* * *

That's all folks. See you next week on Friday, and please don't forget to review.

**I own nothing.**

-Loor


	51. What Was Never Said

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Fifty One- What Was Never Said**

Loor walked alone as dusk came close. She was glad for being alone, as it gave her time to think. Her mind was focused for a change, pin-pointed on a single thing.

Her fight with Fury was not even an hour away... not even half an hour away before dusk would be upon the village and she'd have to turn towards the training fields for a fight that she asked for... even though she didn't want it. No, Loor was sure this was the turning point for her relationship with Fury.

At this point... they were either going to hate each other or finally come together again as sisters.

She almost feared it, because she promised herself she wasn't going to hold back at all. She had to show Fury that this fight was serious, which would be why she was carrying Ryu... and that meant she had to show she herself was serious. Loor knew words were going to be traded over this, and those words had to count for everything.

Like Naruto had said... Loor had to be willing to sever ties if she was going to help anyone. And that was what this was about; helping Fury. If Loor had to beat the stupid out of her to do it, so be it, but this was all about putting Fury's head on straight.

"Loor? Where are you going?"

It was like a shock running up her back as she came back to earth, turning to look at who had called her out.

"Lee..." She stared at the boy. He was on his crutch, behind her, looking both sad and hopeful at the same time. "How are you... I mean... are you okay?"

He nodded slowly, crutching up to her while showing a smile to ease her mind. "Are you... going to your fight?" He asked, his eyes lingering on Ryu. He had never seen the weapon across her back before.

She nodded, frowning slightly. "Yeah. You may have noticed, but there's a few nurses from the hospital tailing me in case things get messy." She shook her head, as if to change the subject. "But enough about me, where did you go? You seem a little more... well, a bit brighter since I last saw you."

He looked at her for several moments before sighing. "I went to where my team first met with Gai, when we had all graduated. I wanted to think... and Gai sensei came looking for me..." He trailed off, finally gaining the look of resolve in his eyes. "I am going through with surgery, despite the risk. Either I will have my dream, or I will die with my dream."

"You're scared." She noted, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He nodded as he frowned again. "But a good shinobi is not stopped by fear. I told you about when Kakashi and Gai played Paper-Rock-Scissors, yes? Gai explained to me that luck is part of a shinobi's skills." He took a deep breath, biting his lip. "I hope you will pray for me, because I doubt luck alone will help me."

"Lee..." She grabbed his hand, the one that wasn't holding his crutch. "Belief is part of medicine. If you believe that you can survive the surgery, you're that much closer to getting through it. I know that's tough to think about... but if it helps at all, _I _ believe you're strong enough to come through it."

He stopped walking, holding her hand while staring ahead. She stopped with him, looking at him.

His brown eyes had grown wide. She knew this reaction, since it was rare for anyone other than Gai to believe in him. She squeezed his hand, offering a smile the second he looked.

"You _do_ have a way with words, Loor." He said, slowly returning the smile.

"I just know I'm strong enough to make it through that surgery, and you can kick my ass." She giggled. "So that means you're over qualified."

He nodded, smiling at her before letting go of her hand. "You should go to your fight. Fury will not be happy if you are late."

She glanced at the sun, gasping. "Right! See you later Lee-kun!"

Lee nodded while watching her go.

He thought to himself that he'd wait for a little while, then follow her. Just to watch over her. He wouldn't jump in... he just wanted to make sure she'd be okay.

He waited, then turned to go after her.

Suddenly, Naruto jumped out in front of him.

"Hey, Lee!" Naruto gave, grinning. "How are you doing?" Then, before Lee could answer that question, Naruto glanced in the direction Lee was going. "Hey... the sun is going down... the hospital is that way!" Naruto pointed in the direction Lee should have been going. "Why are you going this way?"

Lee felt himself staring at Naruto before his brain caught up with what the ADHD blond had said. "I..." He almost found himself lying about where he was going, but stopped himself.

Naruto could know. It was no problem.

"Loor is going to fight her sister." Lee said. "I want to watch, so I am following her."

"Oh..." Naruto looked a tad worried. "But I heard from Kiba that Fury has been like... really mad at Loor for the past month for some reason..." He sighed. "I should come too. This could get messy."

Lee was reluctant to let Naruto come along at first, but eventually allowed it.

Neither of the two boys could guess that Neji was around the corner, listening in.

* * *

"You're late."

Loor had just entered the clearing, hearing Fury's voice when she stepped into the center. Chuckling, she smirked. "You know, we didn't set an exact time. Sundown is before it's dark, ain't it?" Loor turned to where Fury's voice had come from, looking up into the trees to spot the girl. "I'm right on time."

The younger of the two saw that she'd been spotted and jumped down to ground level to face her foe. "You made the challenge, Loor. I made it here before you did, which makes you late."

"I beg to differ." The elder smirked. "You were the first to talk about your new move. I just picked a location and a time for the demonstration." She said this while staring at Fury. The girl looked just as serious as Loor was, wearing her weapon's pouch on her leg.

Loor didn't have her weapon's pouch, since throwing wasn't her strong point. No, she brought Ryu as her show of strength, just as Fury had brought her own strong point. Loor knew that her little sister was good with throwing.

Loor felt like a bear about to take on a nimble bird.

"Well... are you going to move, or are we going to stare at each other all night?" Fury gave, getting testy. She was tense, all too ready for this fight, but then again not ready if she didn't know that she could start it.

Loor grinned. "Fury, the master never attacks first."

One could almost feel Fury's rage flaring. Had she been a wild animal she would have snarled, her hand becoming poised over her tools. "Then move! I'm not below you anymore!"

"Really?" Loor finally pulled Ryu free, unwrapping the tape from the blades at a calm and somewhat slow pace, as if she had no fear of being attacked.

"Yeah, really! I've done a lot while you've been gone, and maybe your arrogance would take a shot if you knew some of it! I fought Neji when you left, and he admitted that _I_ rightfully won! Do you hear me?! _I_ beat that guy! I succeeded where you failed!"

The first wrap dropped to the ground, Loor flipping her weapon to free the second blade. She seemed very calm. "Wow. I'd be impressed if I didn't already know."

"Huh?" Surprise took the wind out of her sails.

"I speak with Lee, Fury." Loor shook her head. "He told me of your victory, and I'll admit I was angry at first. Maybe a little frustrated, but I only became angry with you when I heard the very nature of your victory. Lee said that it might have been the cause of your personality change, what you did."

"What are you talking about?"

"You used your curse mark, Fury." Loor's weapon was fully free, and she held it at the middle before holding it out, one of the hooked blades coming close to touching the bottom of Fury's chin. "All too lightly, as I understand. Lee says that when you used it you changed. Everyone has been blaming your victory over Neji for your strange personality of late... but when you smirk at me I know I've seen that look on another face."

Fury finally reached in to her pouch to grab sinbons, settling four of the needles in her hand, one between each finger, backing off a step to be out of Loor's range and circling around her to fully enter the clearing.

They had stood off.

"Well?" She spat out. "Who's face?! Who else have you seen smirk?"

Loor was still holding the hook out, her electrical blue eyes taking on a green hue as the world darkened. "You smirk like Kabuto does, as if you know something the other person doesn't know. And if you didn't hate me before, Fury, you will now."

"What?" The younger snarled, panting a little from her non-productive rage. "What are you talking about now?"

"Kabuto was there when Orochimaru killed my family."

Fury took a step back, staring. "Wha... what?"

"Kabuto captured me during the chunnin exams."

"What are you talking about? No, no way!"

"Kabuto kidnapped me at the chunnin finals, along with Lee, to keep us out of the way."

"Shut up! You're lying! You always lie!"

"No, I'm not, Fury." Loor shook her head slightly. "I fought him myself. He's much stronger than he appears to be, and he's not even a Leaf shinobi. He's one of Orochimaru's, a Sound nin. He's Orochimaru's right hand man."

Fury was staring at Loor with her mouth agape. Obviously she didn't want to believe this. Of course she didn't. She didn't want to be betrayed by Kabuto.

She didn't want to think of him like that.

Without thinking she fired out, throwing one of the sinbons in her hand. Loor didn't bother to dodge, the needle plunging into her shoulder. "You're wrong about him! Orochimaru must have possessed him or something! He's been writing me letters the whole time you've been gone--"

"About his sensei being sick? About going to a place called Tanzaku city to be healed? Lemme guess, the doctor couldn't help him? I bet the next letter you get he'll be captured by Sound forces, on his way to that village. That doctor was Tsunade! His sensei, Jaaku sensei? He was Orochimaru all along, keeping an eye on us!"

"You..." Fury gasped slightly, as if she had the wind knocked out of her. "But... he..." She stared. "Why do you have to say those things?! Why can't you just shut up for my sake and not tell me?! Just lie to me, lie to me to make me think what I want to think!"

Loor took a step forward, which caused Fury to throw another sinbon, hitting home in the arm that was lax at Loor's side. The elder girl seemed to not feel it. "Of all the people I lie to..." Loor shook her head. "You're the last one I _want_ to lie to."

"But I hate you now! You can lie all you want and it's never gonna get worse because I already hate you!"

_You are one of God's mistakes,  
_ _You crying, tragic waste of skin.  
_ _I'm well aware of how it aches,  
_ _And you still won't let me in._

"Is that your reason?" Loor's voice was monotoned. "You hate me because you thought it'd be easier?"

"It would be if you'd just hate me back! Then you'd leave me alone and I'd never have to deal with you or your crazy idea about wanting to go home!"

Fury had grown so angry she'd begun to cry.

"Failure." Loor muttered. "Is that what you think? If you hate me, I'd instantly hate you in return and we'd go on in life never speaking again?"

Fury sniffed. "That... it is what I expected."

She leapt forward, weapon readied. "Who the hell do you think I am?!"

_Now I'm breaking down your door,  
_ _To try and save your swollen face,  
_ _Though I don't like you anymore,  
_ _You lying, trying waste of space._

Fury avoided the hooked end of Loor's stave, yelping and jumping as the other end came around for the second strike that she hardly evaded. "How dare you, my dear little sister!" Loor nearly bellowed as she stilled her attack, once again holding one hook in Fury's direction as a threat. "I don't hate without good reason, and you are a fool to believe different. It's funny that once, a long time ago, I envied you!"

"What in the world would _you_ envy about _me_ ?! You always had everything, and it was like you were never affected by stress or normal pre-teen problems! You were always Loor, the untouchable! The invincible!"

"Do you know what I would have given to be the _invisible?! _ You think I had it all?! I had nothing _but_ stress and anger in my life, the constant need to beat the shit out of everyone because everyone was always trying to talk me up or talk me down, be it about my latest self expression or because they had someone they wanted roughed up, thinking I could be hired out!"

"At least you're happy!!"

"And you weren't?!" Loor had reached to her shoulder, pulling out a needle she'd taken, dropping it to the ground and stepping on it. "You had a mom who would give you anything you wanted, even if you shouldn't have had it! She gave you so much leash it wasn't funny! You were _so_ lucky, but you were so blind because you always wanted what someone else had!"

_Before our innocence was lost,  
_ _You were always one of those,  
_ _Blessed with lucky sevens,  
_ _And the voice that made me cry.  
_ _My, oh my._

"Are you nuts?!" Fury yelped. "I don't--"

"You lie!!" Loor snarled. "That's why, isn't it?! You hate me now because you envy me! You're mad because you see things in me that you want in yourself but believe you don't have. So you come up with the reason that you feel oppressed and trapped by me, dominated and belittled, but the truth is that you want to be more of an individual, and confident, and strong! You were ready to give anything for strength, which is why you started training with Neji!"

Loor could see that Fury was thinking about turning and running. She was finally screaming at the girl, and it was more than obvious that their ties had been severed. All they had to wait for was the bleeding, but Loor _had_ to make the cut deeper so Fury would remember the scar.

"Your curse mark may have made your envy turn to hate, but I know under that face is my little sister! I know that you're still there, even if you yourself don't believe it! Well guess what? Of all the things never said, I think it's time to say them! Of all the ways you've hidden under me, I think its time to show you that you truly _are_ pathetic!"

Fury threw the other two sinbons in her hand, the needles zipping through the air and hitting Loor in the leg and _through_ her left wrist. The girl didn't seem to notice, holding her weapon in her right hand.

_You were mother nature's child,  
_ _Someone to whom I could relate.  
_ _Your needle and your damage done,  
_ _Remains a sordid twist of fate._

"You want to be an individual, yet you cling to people like me!"

Fury responded with a second handful of sinbons, her pouch full of them, the needles striking one by one at Loor's body.

First was the top of her left arm.

"You want to be powerful, but you make up reasons to why you're weak. Truth is it simply comes down to you refuse to put the effort into becoming strong! Why? Because you can't stand even the smallest amount of pain!"

Through her right side, the needle going through and sticking out of her back.

"You can't stand pain at all, which is why you hate me right now, isn't it?! The world isn't all sun and sugar, Fury!"

Her left leg, right above her knee.

"No, real relationships hurt! You hurt me all the time, but I never show it! Every time you make yourself pathetic, it makes me mad at myself for wanting to scream at you, but you need to feel the sting! You truly are my little sister tonight..."

Through her abdomen, the needle zipping through and sticking out her back, near the spine. A near miss.

_Now I'm trying to wake you up,  
_ _To pull you from liquid sky,  
_ _Coz if I don't we'll both end up,  
_ _With just your song to say goodbye.  
_ _My, oh my._

"Because I'm willing to hurt you!"

Loor finally took another step toward her sister, who was going for more weapons.

Loor felt something stab into her back. Surprised, she jumped, turning her back to her sister to see if there was something she'd missed.

Fury's rage instantly changed to arrogance while presenting her new technique. "I wouldn't pull out anything else I've thrown at you, Loor. It'll just come back."

Loor reached to her lower back, wincing when she found the needle she'd pulled from her shoulder embedded in her flesh again. "What the hell...?"

"You like it?" Fury giggled, pulling out two kunai and throwing them at her sister's turned back, striking her in the upper back and right shoulder. "It's like a homing system that TenTen came up with... though I perfected it. Once I've targeted someone, I can't miss. And if you pull the weapon out... it just cuts into you again."

Loor turned her head to stare at her sister, almost afraid to turn and expose her front again, but more worried about Fury attacking her spine.

"I made this move just for you, Loor." Fury gave, grinning. "I thought it was the perfect way to end a relationship that no matter how many times I pulled away... it came back to stab me again."

_A song to say goodbye,  
_ _A song to say goodbye,  
_ _A song to say..._

More sinbons were thrown, sticking in the back of Loor's calves, the top of her back, and the back of her arm. Despite what Fury said Loor felt the need to remove these needles, shuddering at the feeling of them sticking in her.

She tasted blood in her mouth as Fury added a shurukin to what was already stuck in her back.

Slowly, Loor turned to face her sister, panting and looking like she'd used up all her energy telling Fury what she wanted to say... and ended up taking all the hits in this fight. Fury hadn't been touched, and Loor had weapons sticking out of every part of her.

She was bleeding, blood everywhere.

"You were so lucky." Loor muttered. "Before we came here."

Loor fell at Fury's feet, her weapon dropped into the grass.

_Before our innocence was lost,  
_ _You were always one of those,  
_ _Blessed with lucky sevens,  
_ _And a voice that made me cry._

Fury stared at Loor, her mouth slightly open. Was... was that it? Was it that easy?

Why didn't she feel any better?

She felt terrible, worse than she had while Loor was away.

All the things Loor had said chewed at her, gnawing on her brain.

She glared at Loor, slightly aware that if the girl was left like that she could be a corpse by the time the sun came up again.

Fury sighed, slowly getting closer and nudging Loor with a foot. "C'mon. Get up."

She didn't move.

"Loor, this isn't a time for pride. At least let me help you to the hospital."

Nothing.

Fury sighed. "Fine, I'm going home... Goodbye."

_It's a song to say goodbye. _

Suddenly Loor's hand shot out and latched onto Fury's foot.

"You don't get to say that just yet."

* * *

I said you were gonna hate me. Now, am I right or am I right? Why, because that's the only chapter for this week! Yeah. I know. Sorry, but school was getting in the way. I would have had the other half of this fight up here... but it's not done yet!

Sorry!

**I don't own Naruto or 'Song To Say Goodbye' by Placebo. I will admit to editing the song. The line 'Mother Nature's child' is actually 'Mother Nature's son'. It threw my editor when it was the way the song was supposed to be. Sorry for that!**

See you next week!

Review, even if it's just to complain!

-Loor


	52. Two Lines

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Fifty Two- Two Lines**

Kiba had followed Fury when she left the apartment. He knew where she was going, and didn't really want to follow her till the dogs reminded him (Rather loudly) that if she was badly hurt there'd be no one to carry her to the hospital. Once he'd taken note of that he'd left the apartment still clad in his night clothes, both of the dogs at his heels. He had arrived shortly after Loor, so he hadn't missed much of the actual fight.

If you could call it that.

Loor had been allowing herself to be hit, as if she were making some point by taking Fury's rage. And all the things Loor said, though hurtful, were true. Fury did make up excuses for being weak. She _did_ copy people instead of being an individual. It was true the girl couldn't handle pain at all.

Any type of pain.

Kiba noted that he wasn't alone around the time it became less about Loor's lecture and more about Fury's incurable and violent rage.

Lee and Naruto were crouched in the brush a few trees over, also watching intently. Once Kiba had engaged his nose he took note that Neji was also present, probably keeping an eye on his student.

Heh, funny how fights like this drew people. Kiba could also detect two other people who smelt rather strongly of the hospital.

Of course, everyone was surprised when Loor fell. Sure, the girl had taken more than twenty needles to the body, two kunai, and a shirukin that struck rather close to her spine, but no one expected Loor to _lose._ Take that a step further, not a single person there expected Fury to get off without a single cut, bruise, or otherwise.

And then Loor grabbed Fury's foot.

"You don't get to say that just yet."

Fury realized too late that Loor had been faking her 'defeated' condition. The girl was hurt, anyone could see that, but she wasn't done.

"H-hey!" Fury yelped, trying to get her foot back. "I thought you were..."

"Done?" Loor's other hand, though clumsy with a needle through her wrist, eventually met the bottom of her sister's shoe. "No, I think not."

Fury felt a pulse of chakra at the bottom of her foot. Loor had done something. Before anything else could happen, or anything could be said, Loor pressed Fury's foot to the ground.

Fury tried to lift that foot to kick Loor, horrified when it didn't comply.

"Sticky jutsu is so useful, no?" Loor questioned, getting to her feet rather slowly. Fury tried to kick out with her other foot, but Loor captured that one too and applied her jutsu again, backing off and allowing Fury to stick herself to the ground. "I expect you can't have many weapons left in that pouch of yours... and you're a sitting duck."

"Lemme go!" Fury crowed, trying to pull her feet off of the ground. "This isn't fair!"

"_Fair?" _ Loor chuckled. "Who said anything about fair? Do you think that perfect aim jutsu of yours is fair? That tools pulled out come back to hit their mark again?" Loor had a cocky smile, drawing rather close to her sister. "I think we live outside the world of fair."

Fury gulped as Loor bent and picked her weapon up again, finding the curve of one of the blades pressed against the bottom of her chin. "You..." She gasped. "You wouldn't."

"You're right." The smile faded. Why Loor had it for even that long, no one would know. "But there's no way around it. You're trapped. I win."

Two seconds later Loor had leapt back. Fury brandished a kunai in her hand that she had drawn out and across Loor's nose in one swift movement. Blood dripped from the girl's face, not only from there but from two thin lines on her cheek. Also clutched in Fury's hand were two more senbons, probably her last, that had scratched two lines into the side of Loor's face, more blood dripping down.

Two lines.

"I won't give up till I have to!" Fury snapped, glaring. "You want me to show I'm strong, fine! You'll have to chop me into bits till I give into you!"

Loor stared, blinking twice at her sister.

"What?! Can't you even do that, _Onee-san?!_ I struck you! I think I've nearly killed you! The least you can do is attack me in return!"

Silence.

"Even if you hate me..." Loor closed her eyes, sighing. "I still love you. You're still my..." She bit her lip. "My little sister. My _Imoto-chan._ The thought of making you bleed makes me sick."

"Then you lose!" Fury snapped. "You lose, and you're the weak one! If you can't take that pain, you're the pathetic one!!"

Every eye there watched a visible shudder go through Loor's body. Some might say that it was the blood loss getting to her, or Fury's pointed words that finally came at this truly crucial point. Perhaps she shivered while trying not to cry, or shuddered in restrained anger that her sister would dare utter such a thing.

Only Naruto, as an onlooker, would know the truth of that shudder.

_**You cowardly weakling. ** _

The voice that sneered in Loor's head. The voice that jeered in her mind.

The voice that drove her mad. The voice that made her not herself.

The voice that made her give in.

Loor bellowed with her stave upraised in her right hand, her left arm hanging useless with a needle sticking through her wrist. With one arm she struck Fury, her reason lost.

Fury screamed in pain, truly incapable of bearing it. Loor's blades met her, wet in her blood, leaving long but shallow cuts everywhere Loor could place them. The hooks dragged, their sharp curves separating human skin.

Her sister's skin.

The worst was that Fury could not dodge. Couldn't run, couldn't kick, couldn't jump, stuck to the spot with Loor's jutsu.

"Loor, stop it!" She cried out, tears leaking form her face. "Stop it! I'm sorry!"

Pain is a funny thing. Fury may have felt it in moderation when Loor was around, her various ways of offending everyone around her, but it was part of Fury's life. When Loor left, that pain was gone.

And it had left Fury feeling empty. Not that she saw it that way. She saw it as irritation, saw it as something being wrong, and started picking at her own faults, her own weakness, which was why she went to Neji. She was willing to take pain because it was missing.

But that was more pain than she wanted. She tried to use Neji to replace Loor, but he was too much.

He didn't fit the space that Loor had left. No one could do that but Loor.

"I'm so sorry!" Fury screamed. "I'm lost, I'm confused, stop it so I can talk to you!!"

"Take it back!" Loor bellowed at her, bringing the hooked blade of Ryu down into Fury's shoulder. She didn't wince, watching it sink in, watching the victim of her attack sob. "_We_ are not weak!"

"I take it back!! I shouldn't have said it!" Fury was bent over, pleading, panting. "Stop it!"

The younger sister yelped as the hook was violently removed, switching into the elder sister's clumsy left hand, the right hand reaching for the two senbons that Fury still held. Deftly, without resistance, Loor took them from her.

She made identical marks upon Fury's face, two lines.

Two lines on her cheek.

It was the opposing cheek, so as they faced each other someone at the side could see that they were both bleeding from the face.

"I will end this now." Loor finally said, dropping the senbons and backing away from her sister, using Ryu as a crutch rather than a weapon.

Fury felt fear building as she felt Loor gathering chakra.

There was no doubt that this was Loor's new move. It was like a little ball of fire, twisting and turning like a tornado, contained in her sister's hand. It made the clearing glow with flickering light, and made the illusion of faces among the trees.

Fury felt her jaw drop. "Loor... you wanted to talk. Please... I'm sorry..."

Loor suddenly grinned, insanity touching her eyes. _"Now,_ now you wanna talk. You threatened my life when all that was wanted was to talk to you... when all Loor wanted was to help you out of the confusion she knew you were going through..."

It sounded like she was speaking third person all of the sudden, or as if she truly believed she was not herself.

Perhaps she wasn't. Her eyes were too insane, her grin too full of rage.

Perhaps this was something else talking. Something deeper. Something evil.

"She went through it too." Loor continued. "When she was away, Loor was aware of how bad she got when you were not around, and she assumed you needed her as much as she needed you... but if you see fit to take her out of the picture, then I think it's time this demon lived without her angel..." Loor held the ball of fire up, even with her eye, looking through it at Fury. "Don't you?"

Fury stared at Loor, stared at the grin on the girl's face in the light given by that little ball of fire. It made the girl look more than evil, the green in her eyes shining brightly... almost to the point that the edges of her left eye would glint golden.

But to look through the fire ball... Loor's right eye, the one viewed through the fire, looked yellow.

With her grin she looked like Orochimaru.

"Your curse effected you too, didn't it?" Fury asked.

"Maybe it did, maybe it didn't." Loor shrugged, drawing herself to stand taller, holding her fire low. "You could say I've become more demonic in the last month, more _alive... _ but I doubt you'd care about that since you hate Loor so much."

"I _don't!" _

"Too late for that." Loor snorted at her. "It's _over!"_

Loor leapt forward, the tornado of fire, the move she dubbed the burning typhoon, outstretched.

"_Stop_ !"

Two more people had jumped in. Loor found herself suddenly faced with Naruto, who had punched her across the face to disturb her chakra focus. "Loor, are you insane!?" He nearly screamed at her. "That move is deadly! You could kill her!!"

"Na... Naruto?" Loor slowly asked, having been knocked onto her ass. She was confused and maybe a tad dazed. She looked like she'd just woken up from a nightmare. "How long have you...?"

"The whole freakin' time!" He snarled at her. "You two are completely insane, trying to kill each other!"

Loor stared at him for a few more moments before looking over to Fury.

Kiba had leapt out from the shadows to protect her, and was hugging her at the moment despite the blood he was sure to have gotten all over his shirt.

But why was she bleeding so? Loor didn't remember striking her.

Those marks on Fury's face... Just like the cuts Fury had put on her face! Why? Why did they have identical scratches on their cheeks?

What was going on?

"Trying to...?" Loor looked at her hand, which had been singed for how long she'd held the fire in her hand. She stared as if she didn't know what had happened.

Naruto backed off a little. "Do you... even...?" He paused. "Did you black out?"

Loor put her hand to her head, wincing and slowly getting to her feet, suddenly feeling the pain from all the things sticking out of her body. "Might've... Not sure. Fury... said something that pissed me off... then you smacked me in the face."

Loor looked over at Fury again.

Poor girl.

Fury had planted her face in Kiba's chest and looked to have no intention of moving. Tears flowed freely as she babbled into his shirt.

"It's wrong... it's all so wrong..." She sniveled. "She's my... she's my big sister! I... I... I... I'm supposed to turn to her for help! Not fight her... We're not... we're not supposed to fight like this...!! What was I thinking...?"

Loor slowly went over to Fury, dropping her weapon on the ground. "More like what were _we_ thinking?" Loor questioned quietly while undoing the jutsu on Fury's feet. "This isn't right at all."

Fury nodded, though her face didn't show.

A second later her knees gave, collapsing into Kiba.

Loor passed out at about the same time.

Blood loss does a lot to the human body.

* * *

"Well... that was quite reckless of them."

"Kakashi, they're kids. What do you expect? Emotions tend to run high."

"I expected Loor to show a little more control. No doubt Fury's personality was effected by the recent use of her curse mark, but Loor has kept in control as far as you've told me."

"All the way through finding Tsunade, who you have to thank for your current condition, by the by."

"I know. I already thanked her. Still, did anything else happen to Loor on your trip with her Naruto? Anything that would aggravate her emotions that far? Even when the two were mad at each other when I first met them, Loor would have never done _this."_

"Not really. On the other hand, we spent one month in one city... and let's say I gave the kids a lot of free time. Something could have been going on."

"... research?"

"Lots of research, Kakashi. All for the next book."

"You're lucky I love the series so much, or I would chide you for chasing girls while you should have been keeping an eye on the trouble twins... still, what if Itachi had shown up again? Naruto would have been defenseless."

"We made it through, didn't we? And the kid learned a new ninjutsu which is probably going to be the most useful in his arsenal."

"And Loor half learned it and turned it into a jutsu she nearly killed her sister with."

"I thought you weren't going to chide me?"

"You deserved it. On a more positive note I see Lady Tsunade has heard all about where Loor comes from."

"Yeah. I took the liberties... though I get the feeling that Loor told Naruto."

"It's fine. A few of the kids already know. Fury told Kiba, and Lee found out through a little accidental eavesdropping."

"... _lovely._ I thought you said those two were a well kept secret?"

"They were... till they got involved. Its still a question on weather or not they're going home."

"Yeah, but we don't get to answer that question for them. All we can do is advise... but they make their own choice."

"I know, Jiraiya. I know."

* * *

Loor's awakening was slow and painful. The only good thing about it was that she wasn't dead.

She was hardly conscious at first, and sunk out of it several times before finally coming fully into it. When she did she could feel that she was in a bed, and see her hospital room and an IV drip that had a tube leading to a needle stuck in her arm... with a bag of blood attached.

"Eh...?" She questioned out loud. "Since when did this place know my blood type...? I don't even know it..."

"It's called a blood test."

Loor slowly rolled her head to look away from her drip and the wall that was rather close to her bed. In the other direction was the main of the room, where there was a fair amount of empty space, an empty bed next to her, and a person standing by said empty bed.

Said person was the last face Loor wanted to see.

"Thank you Captain Obvious." Loor snarled at Neji. "Is there a reason you're here?"

Neji, who wasn't smirking for once, approached Loor's bed. "I saw the beating you gave Fury... and the beating you took from her."

"Take one step closer and I'll beat your head in." She growled, glaring at him. "Now tell me why you're here before I throw you out the window."

He made a point of taking another step. "You're in no condition to be beating me or throwing me out a window, and I doubt you could do either at full health. I dare you to try and move, if you could you'd probably open the places they had to stitch up because of the two kunai and the shirukin you took." He sighed, pulling up a chair beside Loor's bed. "Still... Fury looks like a rag doll where you look like a pin cushion."

"Where is she?"

"They thought it wouldn't be safe to have you two in the same room."

"You didn't answer me."

"I'm not allowed." He leaned back in the chair. "Doctor's orders. Sumeyo isn't very happy with you, said you were being more reckless than usual. That's saying something, isn't it?"

Loor tried to move her left hand, but got nothing but pain in response. Neji seemed to read the look on her face.

"Oh yes, you were given a bit of a muscle paralyzer for the time being. The nurses guessed you'd try to move and mess yourself up. I wouldn't try moving, the only things that should be working are your neck and up." He finally smirked, his usual expression. "Do tell me if your toes start wiggling, it means you need another dose."

"Is that why you're here?" She snapped, wishing her toes would wiggle at the very least. Bellowing at him would do nothing... and honestly all she could do with her toes was maybe grab his shirt, which would just be awkward, but still something. "To snicker at my condition?"

"Actually, I'm keeping an eye on you while Lee is seeing his physical therapist. The doctors worried about you taking off if you didn't have anyone to talk to. I doubt there's much danger of that, seeing as you can't move, but it is a good chance to make you angry."

"So you're a babysitter." She snorted, turning to look at the ceiling. "_Great." _

"That's interesting..." Neji gave, seeming to note something.

"Eh?" She asked, not looking at him.

"During your fight you made a point of making the same marks on Fury's face that she made on yours, the two lines. I thought they couldn't be completely identical... but they look to be from the naked eye."

Loor was silent for several seconds. "Will they scar?" She asked.

"No, not left alone. Why? You're not suddenly worried about appearances, I hope?"

"Pick them open."

"... what?"

"I want the two lines to scar. Do me a favor for once and pick 'em open."

"You could wait for the drugs to ware off and do it yourself."

"I'm not the patient type. Do it."

"No."

She turned her head to him. "Do it or I'll hug you in public once I'm out of this place."

He blinked at her for a few seconds, then sighed. "Turn your head so I can get at them."

She smirked, turning her head back towards the wall to stare at her blood transfusion dripping in.

Neji's nails hurt, but they did what she wanted.

She'd make sure Fury kept the same scars.

They were marked as sisters.

* * *

Yeah, I know I'm a day late. I kinda had a friend over who hates Naruto so yeah... Oh well.

I'll see you punks next week.

-Loor

**Owns nothing.**


	53. Basics

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Fifty Three- Basics**

Fury's waking up had been just as slow and painful as Loor's, if not more so. You see, where Loor had maybe three spots where she required stitches, Fury had at least fifteen. She felt like Sally off of The Nightmare Before Christmas, which was funny because she always loved that character. She had to admit actually looking and feeling like she was stitched together wasn't as nearly as fun as it was in her mind.

But that was true of a lot of things.

Fury was left with plenty of time to think before she had first visitor. About everything. Since her emotional disturbance, with the curse mark, everything had been skewed. Sadly it had taken a fight with Loor to smack her head back into being on straight... and Fury wasn't even sure she wanted to think clearly again.

She kept thinking about the fight, and not even the violent part of it. No, when Loor wouldn't attack, when the girl stood there and grilled her. Loor had said so many things... all with a single point in mind.

Fury was messed up. Not just when her personality was influenced by the curse mark. Her true personality had its fatal flaws, and Loor took time to point out all of Fury's contradictions. All the things she wanted, and all the things she did that prevented her from having them.

But in Fury's thoughts... Loor became wrong. Before the influence of the curse mark she had taken on Neji as a sensei, and though she fought him kicking and screaming when he put her through painful training... she still did it. One could blame it on the fact that if she hadn't done what Neji told her to do he would have done worse than throw kunai at her, but she still trained with him. She still got stronger.

Or maybe she had that strength all along. Maybe she had the potential all along, but just needed the right push.

Loor could have given her that. Anyone could have given her the right shove, just as long as they disregarded her feelings.

Just like Loor had. Loor had forced herself to forget about how Fury felt just to bellow at her, just to tell her all the things that were wrong with her, just to tell her all the things she did to destroy herself. Why hadn't someone else thought to do that?

Why hadn't anyone else tried to help her in such a manner, when it was so clear that she'd sunken so low?

She didn't need anyone to answer that question. It was because she expected people to care about how she felt, about how sensitive she was. She expected them to back off every time she shot them a dirty look or suddenly shut down when they said something she didn't want to hear.

Loor saved her... by not caring. Perhaps it wasn't as dramatic as it sounded, and the path Loor saved her from certainly didn't lead to death, but Fury was sure it had to lead to something bad if Loor was so hell bent on changing her.

But she had to wonder if the change was a good thing. If it was, why did she feel so shitty? She felt better when she expected the world to play nice with her, but there were lessons she couldn't un-learn. Neji taught her that the world wasn't going to place nice, that everything and everyone was rough and willing to hurt, and she had to be equally willing to hurt. But while Neji taught her about being a shinobi, Loor taught her about something else.

About life. About how it was more than her ideals, more than the things she wanted out of life, but the fact that pain was involved in getting them.

Pain was involved in getting all of them.

She looked down at all of her stitches, sighing. She sat on top of her blankets, so she could stare at all of the bandages that covered the sewing in her skin up. She almost wanted to remove the bandages to make sure the stitches were real, seeing as her body was still numb from when they'd stitched her up.

She glanced at the bag of blood that was currently attached to her, dripping quietly to help bring her back to health.

It was all she could look at, really. Sure, she had the window bed in a room with another person in it, but because of that other person the screen was drawn, keeping her from seeing the rest of the room.

She heard the door open though.

"Hey, I didn't know you were still here."

That was Kiba's voice! Fury nearly yelped for him, but bit her lip.

"I don't plan on being here for much longer..." Another voice, the other person in the room, said back to Kiba. He sounded like someone Fury had met, but she couldn't remember where. "Why are you here? I doubt you came to visit me."

"No. Is Fury...?"

"The other bed, behind the screen. Keep it down, some of us are trying to sleep."

"Right, right, you got it."

Kiba, Ino, and Choji came around the screen two seconds later. "We thought you could use some company and some real food." Kiba gave, chuckling as the two dogs, Akamaru and Schizo, jumped onto Fury's bed and curled up by her feet where they could lick her toes, which they started doing. At the moment that was okay, Fury couldn't feel her toes. She could hardly move because of all of the numbing drugs they'd given her.

"Real food?" Fury giggled, looking at Choji and Ino. Ino was bearing another basket like the one she'd brought the last time Fury was hospitalized. "Thanks to Choji's cooking skills, right?"

"Of course." Ino grinned while putting the basket on Fury's end table, dragging it over as Kiba took a seat on the side of Fury's bed and Choji took a chair, sitting on the middle edge of Fury's bed herself and placing the end table in the middle of them all. "Best cook in Konoha... or at least he's working on it!" She gave the chubby a sweet look. "Sorry to admit, but your parents are still better."

"Of course they are." The larger boy took the liberties of opening the basket and serving things out. In seconds the boxes of different food were scattered with chopsticks given to everyone. "But I'm still pretty good. Enjoy!"

Kiba grinned. "Don't mind if I do, Chubby."

Fury tried to join as everyone dug in, but her chopsticks fell out of her clumsy and numbed up hand.

"Hm?" Ino was quick to notice. "You okay, Fury? I mean... Kiba told us about the fight you and Loor had, but you didn't get your hand crushed too, did you?"

"No, no..." Fury shook her head. "I'm just a little drugged up." She blushed, sighing and leaning her head back. "Don't worry about me."

She picked her head up again a second later to find three sets of chopsticks in her face, the three people present looking at her very seriously. She stared first at the food held in her face and then at the three who were almost glaring at her.

"_Eat." _ They all said in unison.

She usually would have thrown a fit about her space being invaded by food, but held it back and started biting things off of the chopsticks held in her face. It was weird since they had to wait for her to chew and swallow, so everyone was staring at her for almost two minuets. After that Kiba took the liberties of feeding her.

"Can't have you wasting away." He chuckled while Choji started serving out tea from a thermos.

"Oi, Fury-chan," Choji said while he started handing people cups of steaming tea. "That fight with Loor... is it all true, about you guys both being crazy at the end, and then coming out of it? I mean... you _have_ been acting strange since the last time you were in the hospital. Are you okay now?"

Fury bit her lip. "I think so." She shrugged. "But I've been thinking a lot... about old stuff Loor's taught me and stuff."

"Whoa," Ino stared. "She just beat the life out of you and you're still cool with her?"

"Yeah... in all honesty, she saved our relationship last night, and I think she knows it. Sure, everything hurts right now... but I think that's what the point was. Everything hurts. Even the good things hurt a little bit. Also... I've been allowed to think about why I am the way I am."

"What way?" Kiba questioned. "You say that like something is wrong with you."

"There _is." _ Fury looked at them all, taking a few seconds to let Kiba give her tea before speaking again. "I thought life was painless. That's not just wrong, that's sad when a person thinks that... but I had to think on _why_ that is. Loor explained that when something is wrong, something is wrong with the basics."

"The basics?" Choji gulped his tea in the same manner he that gulped his food. "I don't get it."

"I do." Ino stared at Fury. "It means that when you have problems when you get older, it means the problem started in your past. When we're kids, we form the way we view the world, but that's supposed to change as we get older and see more reality and less of what our parents try to keep in front of us... because all our parents let us see are ideals."

"Right." Fury nodded. "I didn't get it before either, but I understand now that I have to think about it."

Fury lowered her head, seeming to be in thought.

Kiba glanced left and right, between everyone. They all looked depressed, aside from the dogs, who had gone to sleep.

"Hey!" He barked. "Would everyone stop being so damned depressed! It's great Fury figured some stuff out, and since she's back to normal we should all be happy!" He snorted. "Geez, you're all grumpy and shit like someone died or something."

Everyone had jumped, and then everyone stared at Kiba for several seconds.

"Hey, hey, hey!" He glared around. "What!? Do I got something in my fangs or something??"

Two seconds later everyone started laughing.

"What the hell is wrong with you people?" He shook his head. "Gods... at least you're not all depressed now."

"Sorry Kiba!" Fury had tittered off into giggles. "It's just... I donno. I think we needed to laugh."

"Yeah, not to mention it's weird to hear you telling everyone to be happy." Ino smirked.

"True..." Fury suddenly looked at Ino. "Though you really should be."

"Huh?" Ino cocked her head to one side, her colorblind eyes focusing upon Fury. "What are you talking about?"

"Lady Tsunade, the great healer, has come back to Konoha." Fury reminded. "You mentioned once that since your colorblindness was unnatural that it _could_ be healed by someone very skilled. You should go see her. She already helped Sasuke and Kakashi as I heard."

"Sasuke and Kakashi?" Choji asked. "You mean we finally found out what happened to them?"

"Sorta..." Fury shrugged. "I just heard they were both very sick, but Lady Tsunade healed them."

Ino had become very quiet.

Choji looked at her, frowning. "Ino?" He put a hand on her shoulder, frowning. "Ino, you alright?"

She suddenly got up, turning. "I need to go. I forgot about... my shift at the flower shop... or something."

Choji sat there, staring at where Ino had been two seconds ago as the door slammed. Then, slowly, he looked over to where Fury and Kiba were. "Did I... do something?"

Kiba and Fury looked at each other before looking back at Choji.

"You should go talk to her." Fury gave. "I don't know why she walked out... but talking to her is going to be the only way."

"O-okay..." The boy stumbled, sighing, packing the food things up in the basket and getting up to go, looking back for only a moment. "Thanks."

Kiba turned to Fury, crushing a serious kiss on her lips the second they were no longer watched. Fury was surprised, but pleasantly so. Once the shock was over she responded quite positively.

Kiba was smiling widely when he pulled away. "It's good to have you back. I missed you."

"Hm?" She gave drearily, the hot food and good company making her relaxed enough to sleep. "But I didn't go anywhere."

He nuzzled under her chin like a dog, still smiling. "Yeah you did. At least the real you did... at first I thought I liked your angry self... but I like you better when you're not so much like me."

"Oh..." She put her head back in her pillow. "Sorry."

He smiled. "See, that's the girl I miss." He rubbed the top of her head before lacing his fingers through her hair. "Loor mentioned that you copied people you admired... but I think you should just be yourself." He kissed her, softer this time. "I like you that way."

She smiled softly, nodding as her jade eyes closed.

Her head rested to one side as she fell asleep.

Kiba stared at her for a little while, waiting till he knew she was sleeping soundly. Once he was sure he stood up from her bed and turned to walk out.

Once outside the door he saw Neji coming down the hall.

"Oh, hey..." Kiba greeted. "Lee finally back and keeping an eye on Loor?"

"Yes, though she's sleeping." Neji shrugged. He'd been keeping an eye on his student before Lee had asked for his assistance.

"Same with Fury." Kiba shrugged, waving. "See ya around, Bright Eyes."

Neji watched Kiba walking down the hall with a stoic expression before turning his gaze upon Fury's door.

She was sleeping...?

Perfect. Loor had asked him to pick her face too...

* * *

"Ino! Wait up!"

Choji had left the hospital fast enough to be able to catch up with Ino. It wasn't like she was running from the place, and since he _was_ running getting to her wasn't much of a problem.

She turned when her name was called, and then glared at him and snorted. "Leave me alone, Chubby!"

He ignored her jab at him. He was used to that from her, used to her pushing him off, but he wasn't going to shut up and be stepped on this time. He caught up with her, panting, and grabbed her shoulder to get her to stop walking.

"Eh?" She stared at him. "What's with you? I told you to leave me alone!"

"...no..." He huffed, standing straight, and getting his breath back slowly. "Please... talk to me... why did you walk out... when Fury mentioned getting your eyes fixed?"

She stared at him for a moment, biting her lip and looking away. "I... well..." She looked left and right, suddenly grabbing his wrist and dragging him off of the main road, out of the way where no one could see them. Choji understood this. She almost feared various people finding out that they were going out, so in broad daylight they'd end up meeting in back alleys and the like.

"So?" He asked after a few moments. "What is it?"

She had crossed her arms and her legs, leaning against the dirty wall behind her, sighing. "It's just... I don't know, is all... I mean, when I stopped seeing in color... well then that was wrong with me, and I ended up noticing a whole bunch of other stuff that was wrong with me, with how mean I am to people and stuff..." She trailed off, sighing. "And that was all because of the colorblindness... without that... I'd probably still be calling you fat boy."

"So?" He questioned. "You learned some stuff. That's a good thing. I learned some stuff from you too."

She gave him a look, quite obvious she was near tears. "You don't get it, Choji... I'm afraid that once I can see in color again... once things go back to normal... I'm afraid that maybe I'll start being mean to you again. I mean, I don't wanna be mean to you. I've had so much fun, hanging with your family, talking with you, and everything... I don't want to be mean again."

He stared at her. Two tears had fallen down her face, gleaming in the noonday light, her crossed arms and legs making her body look like it had been twisted into a painful knot. Is that how she felt? Knotted up?

"We should go out tonight." He said to her.

"Huh?" She questioned. "Your place?" She asked, a hint of a smile coming onto her face. It's where they usually met for great food and great company.

"No." He answered. "Actually going out, to one of the nice places to eat here in the village. I mean, the food won't be as good as my parent's house... but," He smiled at her. "it'll be good company."

She blinked at him. Several times. They kept going to his parents place for secrecy too. If her mother ever found out she was interested in an Akamichi kid, it'd be her head for sure! If she kept going to his house, it was just team mates hanging with adult supervision. The second they went out to a nice place to eat under the cover of darkness and paper lantern light...

It was a date.

"Choji... you know why we don't go out..." She muttered, shrinking a little on the wall she was leaning against.

"I know." He got close to her, offering the scarf around his neck for her to wipe her face. "I just think that it's time we should stop being scared. Kiba knows, Fury does, and it's not long till Loor and Shikamaru pick up on it... what's wrong with people knowing?"

"Choji, you met my mom when you had dinner at my place!" She quietly snapped, drying her eyes. "She was glaring daggers at you all night after you mentioned how little was on the table! She couldn't wait to get you out!"

"Yeah, and you dislike her, don't you?"

"Huh?" She cocked her head a little. "Well... she's my mom."

"Doesn't matter. She can't control you." He smiled slightly. "No one controls a shinobi." He shrugged. "If you're so worried about it, say you're going out with that pretty boy Sasuke. I can pretend to be dark and emo for a night."

He said this in a joking manner.

She sighed, biting her lip. "Well..." Finally, she nodded. "Alright. Tonight. I'll meet you at your place, just wait for me."

He nodded. "Good enough for me."

She lowered her head. This was so unfair! He was right, it was the right time to be out about their relationship, but she was so scared. It was so unjust to him it wasn't funny! He knew that he was her best kept secret because of the various people in her life who couldn't stand the thought of her liking a well rounded Akamichi kid.

She grabbed his hand as he turned to leave.

"Hm?" he questioned.

"Can I have a hug?"

She was quickly reminded that Choji's hugs could snap people in two.

She had to wonder how his parents felt about their son dating a Yamenaka twig.

* * *

Yeah, I know, short chapter. I'm sorry. Hope for a better update next week.

It's a shitty chapter. I KNOW. This one was done LAST week but mom wouldn't let me put it up in it's original form because she thought it sucked to high heaven.

**I don't own it. **

See you punks next week.

Loor


	54. Flowers

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Fifty Four- Flowers**

Loor and Fury's stay at the hospital was not a long one. Both girls were informed, at some point when they were awake, that they would have their major injuries fixed and then be sent on their merry way. Why? Let me put it this way. There was an empty bed in Loor's room, yes? That bed had only been vacated an hour before, and the hour after someone else was in it. That was the way with most of the beds in the hospital with the village in crisis mode.

Since the invasion the village had been in crises, and people who were under qualified were being sent on overly dangerous missions because they didn't have enough high level shinobi to go around anymore. Fury and Loor would be discharged as fast as possible to free their beds for cases more important than theirs.

So yes, they both received ninja treatments to their major wounds, allowing Fury's stitches to be removed. They had just been the emergency treatment till a jutsu-using doctor could attend to her.

They were left with the option of going home or staying the night if they still felt weak.

Loor, of course, said she was leaving for home, to Lee's apartment, wishing to sleep in her normal environment.

Fury, on the other hand, opted to stay in her room and check out in the morning.

One doesn't get over stitches and a blood transfusion that quickly, I don't care how many jutsu you use.

Thing was... Fury had never felt the medical touch of jutsu before. She wasn't looking forward to it, not even with a trusted face like Sumeyo behind the healing hands. A nurse was at the doctor's side, to clip Fury's stitches as the cuts all over the girl's body were healed.

Fury was on her side, waiting for the first of this healing, facing away from the doctor. She closed her eyes as the anxiety started to hit. Was this going to hurt?

Her leg, which was the first object of attention, relaxed when the nurse took a grip at her ankle to hold her steady. The touch was gentle. She felt the doctor's fingertips, a warm pulse of chakra running through them. It was soothing, like running water.

It almost tickled.

"Okay, next." Sumeyo said.

Fury nearly jumped. That was it for that cut? Were the stitches removed too? That must have been the tickle she felt. Sumeyo's jutsu must have softened pain while healing.

Needless to say, the healing went very quickly. Soon enough Fury was sitting on her bed, smiling a little and looking very good for having the snot beaten out of her. The doctor and nurse bustled off to go else where, stopping to pull the dividing curtain open before leaving.

It was at that point that Fury saw her roommate.

She'd seen the boy in the bed across from her, though it felt like it had been a very long time since she'd seen him. Sadly, she could not remember his name, so she dare not address the black haired youth. Whoever he was, he sat there, obsidian eyes staring at the wall in front of his bed as if in deep thought.

"If you're not going to talk can you stop staring?" The dark haired boy eventually asked, sounding very rude.

She blinked twice, looking away. "Jeez, sorry." She muttered.

His eyes slowly left the wall and focused at her. "You're... Fury, right? You and your sister used to train with my team, with Kakashi, about a month ago."

"Right." she said, staring at the floor.

"You _can_ look at me." He informed her, once again sounding rather rude.

She fought the slight anger she felt and looked up, seeing that the guy was demanding her attention.

"Do you do everything you're told?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow.

She blinked twice at him. "No... and you're being really rude."

"Being polite doesn't get you a lot of places." He shrugged. "So how did you end up here?"

"My sister and I got into a fight."

He blinked at her this time, turning his head slightly back to the wall, as if he was going to dismiss her. "I thought you two were supposed to stick together, not fight. Kakashi got mad at you two for that once already."

"I started it."

His dark eyes watched her from the corners, nearly facing the wall.

"I... thought I knew better than her, but she reminded me... we rarely know better than the other does..." She sighed. "She knows things about me, and I know things about her. It makes us great friends, and possibly worst enemies now and then."

"She reminded you of that by beating the living piss out of you?"

"That's the way she expresses herself." Fury joked.

"Think things will go back to normal?"

"Between me and her?" She shrugged. "Not sure. Haven't seen her since we fought... and something was wrong with her."

The boy became silent. Funny, that most people would ask 'well, like what?' or something along those lines. But this guy was a man of few words it would seem. He had little interest in conversation once he had the information he wanted, which was why Fury was all messed up in this case.

She stared at him, trying to remember who he was.

He was the dark guy on Naruto's team, that much she could think of... but the rest was a blank.

Well, blank till he shifted in his bed a little. He wore a loose T, and once he moved a little the collar of said T fell a little, exposing something that jogged her memory.

On his shoulder was a mark identical to Loor's.

"You're Sasuke!" she suddenly proclaimed, jumping. "You're the other guy who has a mark like my sister and I!"

He looked at her again, raising an eyebrow at her as if she were retarded before looking away again. "So?"

"So..." She bit her lip. "Why... why did _he_ mark you?"

The _he_ was Orochimaru.

Sasuke's dark eyes narrowed slightly before he shrugged. "He didn't say."

"He didn't tell Loor either, or me, but we know. You should know there's something in you that he'd have to like to mark you... right? It's not like he's after your boyish good looks."

"Why did he mark you two?" Sasuke became interested again, facing her once more.

Fury felt like biting her tongue for what she'd said. She knew Orochimaru had marked them for where they were from, for his plan to take over this world and theirs. She couldn't tell Sasuke that... or even the story of Loor's family getting killed.

"I..." She paused. "It's not for me to say."

"Oh?" He questioned, giving her a piercing look. "Is that it...? Or are you bluffing about knowing?"

"No!" She snapped. "It's just more of Loor's story than it is mine. If ya wanna know, you'd have to ask her!"

Huffing Fury laid back on her hospital bed, drawing her blanket over her body and turning to the wall, as not to face Sasuke's bed.

"Would I find her at home?" Sasuke asked.

Fury stayed silent. She'd said too much already.

"No... I should know better than that." He seemed to speak to himself.

Fury sensed him leaving the room.

She prayed the nurses stopped him from leaving, because Loor's nighttime haunts were rather predictable and not prone to change.

* * *

Loor was finally alone.

She hadn't spent a true moment alone since before she and Naruto had left Konoha in the first place. On her trip with him and Jiraiya she'd always been with someone because of her inherent fear of cities, or just the fact that there were people everywhere. Even when she'd left Naruto's side she had been going to see Gaara.

Hardly a moment alone, not a second to think, before there was someone with her again. And not to say Loor didn't enjoy people, it was just that prolonged exposure usually sent her to snapping at those close to her for no reason. Even if she'd just been hanging with friends and laughing... she'd get exhausted very quickly just by being around people.

So as good as she was with people... she didn't consider herself a people person.

To be alone again, to walk in the woods by herself, was the ultimate reward for getting home. Once again she watched the moonlight from between the trees, on her way to her clearing with the river. Her feet, bare, knew the way very well. Simply being outside helped her become calm and relax.

Strange that her most intense fights had all happened in this forest, aside from the one with Fury during the invasion. But the recent one with Fury, the fight with Neji, facing off with Shukaku during the full moon, sparring with Fury when they'd first met Kakashi, and fighting Hinata when she and Fury had first arrived... all happened in this forest. Different places in this forest, but they still happened in this forest.

She sighed slightly, feeling a pang of loneliness as she remembered all her encounters with Gaara that had happened out in these woods.

No matter how tired of people she'd grown, she'd always want to see him.

It didn't get any better when she made it to her clearing. When she looked about she found that it had changed a little. The river still flowed, but flowers of every color had bloomed. She had no idea that these plants had even existed, but here they were with their colorful clash.

She frowned, shaking her head. It was beautiful... she wished she could show it to someone, but there was only one person she shared this place with.

And she couldn't show him. He was too far away.

She walked to the river, doing her best not to disturb the blooms. Once she got to the bank she removed Ryu, which she'd brought with her, from her back. Lying it aside she sat down, sliding her feet into the cold flow of water.

She slowly closed her eyes and laid back on the sandy bank, all but disappearing in the cover of the wildflowers.

The sounds of the wood brought her to calm again, but she felt her loneliness like a thorn in her side. Even with the clearing changed, it reminded her of times she'd spent. Times past.

Times gone.

Was that why she was really out here? Was she here in hopes that if she came out here _he'd_ appear out of nowhere somehow, just like the past days where he'd track her down every other night, either in murderous rage or a confused stupor?

Was she that pathetic? Why didn't she act like this to the issue of her family being gone?

Because that didn't seem real at the time. Not tangible. She didn't see her house every day, or the places that held her memories. Here she'd made new ones...

And she felt them pressing in on her. The ghosts of those memories, painful or beautiful, romantic or violent, seemed to loom over her.

_I will not cry..._

Yeah, that's what she told herself.

It wasn't true though. She tried to ignore the tears that slipped from her closed eyes, but be it she ignored them or not they were still there.

"I found you."

Her heart suddenly thudded in her throat, sitting up and looking for the voice that had spoken.

How dare she hope for the impossible.

She saw a shadow at the edge of the clearing, but it was too tall to be the one she was thinking of. She quickly leaned forward to splash water from the river onto her face before standing up, Ryu coming with her. "Who are you?" She questioned, eyes narrowed upon the shadow.

"You don't remember me?" His voice was young, but had the makings of being dark. She'd heard such a voice before, both from this person and from someone else.

The family resemblance was pretty obvious when the guy stepped into the moonlight.

It was Sasuke. Loor had met his elder brother, Itachi. Itachi had left the village a few years ago though, joining the Akatsuki, an organization that did whatever necessary to gain whatever they wished. In a word Itachi and the rest of the organization was pretty evil...

Loor stared at Sasuke, who looked very much like his big brother.

She felt suspicion of him. Despite Sasuke's need to kill her elder brother, the apple never fell very far from the tree.

"Oh, no, I remember." She turned her body to the side, holding Ryu behind herself. "You're the Gothic Cockatoo."

She couldn't resist that jab. His hair still made him look like some type of exotic bird.

He took another step into the clearing, coming among the flowers. He wore a black T shirt and dark blue pants, so he blended into the darkness despite the moonlight. Loor had to focus on the parts she could see, which was his paler than snow skin. "You're holding that weapon pretty seriously." Sasuke commented. "You know who I am... why do you feel threatened?"

"I don't know why you're here..." Her glare became more intense. "And I don't know you _that_ well."

He put his hands up, smirking. "I'm just here to ask a question. A very simple question."

She blinked at him, slowly relaxing and sitting again. "Alright... watch the flowers."

She heard him hesitate, probably wondering what a tough girl like her cared about flowers.

He still walked over though, coming to stand a pace from where she sat with Ryu across her lap. "We have something in common."

"Really?" She asked sarcastically. "Besides the not so sunny disposition?"

"You're marked."

She felt his seriousness chill her, bringing her out of the sarcastic tone to look up at him. "So are you. What of it?"

"Your sister said she knew _why_ he marked you... but wouldn't tell me. Said that was your story to tell."

Loor stared at him for a moment before shrugging and looking back at the river. "Yeah... it is. And I don't tell it to everyone."

"I want to know why he came after me." Sasuke came a step closer, close enough to touch her.

"So you want to know why I think he did it so you can take a look at your own situation, right?" She snorted, shaking her head. "What makes you think the reasons could be the same?"

"Call it a feeling." Sasuke said this while coming to sit by her, crossing his legs instead of dipping his feet in the water like she did. "I got it with Gaara too... you know pain, and the want for power."

She restrained the need to smack him across the face for mentioning Gaara's name.

"I don't get it with your sister, but I get it with you. Something happened to you, and now you want power at all costs. Maybe you don't have a reason to have it but just to be powerful... but you're like me, and like him, the way that you'd do anything to get it."

There was a pause.

"And that need for power has to have a reason in your past." She said, as if predicting what he'd say next. "Some damage done, something that made us feel powerless, thus driving for us to be powerful. A large amount of trauma inflicted that, in our cases, Orochimaru took advantage of... because he knows it will cause us to get over our possible hate for him and go to him for power."

Another pause.

She snickered. "You see, you had your answer all along." She looked at him. "Something terrible happened to you, and Orochimaru has taken advantage to the damage inflicted on your mental condition. Simple enough."

"What happened to you?" He asked, almost too quickly.

"Me...?" She asked, almost distantly. "Something horrible... but I hate Orochimaru too much to take him up on his offer for power."

"Why?"

She gave Sasuke a look. Dark people like him usually weren't so curious, but he wanted to know.

She noted that with the curse marks they could end up seeing each other a lot in the future.

"Because, he murdered my family. He came to my house for no reason in the middle of the night. We had no idea who he was or what he could have wanted, but he went into the house and killed my family one by one... and I could do nothing but watch." She rolled her eyes up to the sky. "He would have killed me too, and Fury, but that's when Kakashi and them showed up..."

She closed her eyes.

"Sometimes I wish they had never come. Sometimes I wish Orochimaru had killed me then."

"Me too."

Shock went through her as she jerked her head to look at him. "Eh?"

"My family is dead too. My whole clan." He smirked at her. "But they weren't killed by some stranger. They were killed... by my big brother."

Whoa. Loor knew something bad had happened, but it was strange that their situations were so close together. Sure, Orochimaru had created her situation for him to take advantage of, but...

Loor had to think about how bad it would be if her family had been killed by her brother, Paul, instead of some stranger.

Sasuke got up. "I don't understand you. I see you act like Naruto, happy. If you're like me, how do you do that?"

"I forget about it."

It was his turn to suddenly look at her and raise a shocked eyebrow. "Forget about it?"

"Yeah. Don't think on it all the time, cause that's too painful. Your family might've been killed by your big brother... but at least he can't put a leash on you. Not only was my family killed by Orochimaru..." She put her hand over her mark. "I might be stuck working for him against my will because of this thing. That... would be the worst." She shook her head. "So I don't think about it. I go on with my life and try to think about the good stuff, not the bad. I just... try to smile. Once every day, I do my best to smile."

"Anyone can smile." He seemed to carry a fair amount of scorn in his voice.

"Really?" She asked, picking up her sarcastic drawl again, looking at him. "Can you?"

It was a test. Her eyes seemed to glow in the moonlight, trying to prod him into taking a few more steps out of his comfort zone, as if he wasn't far enough out, just talking.

"Well?" She questioned.

He turned to walk away. "You're stupid."

He hadn't even put his first foot down before he felt something knock hard into his back, a second blow coming just as quickly to his chest and the same level, and a third at his back, though it was with very little force. Actually, the third blow kept him from going over into the river.

He looked over to find Loor on her feet, holding her weapon. The weapon was what held him from falling into the river, too far over to have stopped himself. It was also what had hit him the first two times.

Surprise was obvious. He wasn't expecting that.

"You were about to step on a flower." She gave, smirking at him.

He blinked several times. "What is with you and these flowers?"

She chuckled, pushing him forward with Ryu to let him gain his balance and stand on his own. "Not just the flowers, this place."

"What's so special?" He rubbed his chest. She had given him a pretty hard thump with the wood of her weapon. He had to wonder what the blades would have felt like. "The river goes on for a long time... there are other clearings like this, with flowers like this."

"Are you always this talkative?" She questioned, turning her back on him.

"No, but usually there's not anyone around who tries so hard to be weird."

"You think I'm trying?" She half turned her head. "Why, I'm almost offended. I'm naturally this weird."

"Whatever!" He snorted. "Gods, if you're going to be so cryptic I'm out of here."

She smirked, bowing her head. "Watch the flowers." She said again.

She heard him take several steps before he stopped.

Typical male. Too curious for his own good.

"Still wanting to know what makes this place special?"

"...maybe."

"Memories. We make memories with people, and the place that keeps those memories becomes precious." She turned her head to him. "I believe you know what I mean, don't you?"

"Who the hell are you?" He asked after a moment. He seemed taken aback by things she seemed to know by just looking at people.

"Just a cryptic girl who doesn't like you very much." She grinned. "But I seem to have a bad habit of wanting to help everyone, whether I hate them or not."

She heard him snort, as if she'd told a bad joke, and his soft steps as he left.

He didn't crush any of the flowers.

* * *

If you haven't noticed, the update schedule has gotten a tad bit out of whack. I apologize, but school is quite the obstacle. I will update what I can, when I can.

This may mean several week long dry periods. I'm sorry. I know this story is hardly good enough to be patient for.

**I don't own Naruto.**

Happy reading.

-Loor


	55. Markings

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Fifty Five- Markings**

"Do you know where Loor went?"

Fury was checking out of the hospital, at the lobby that was just inside of the front door, speaking with Sumeyo. Of course, Loor had checked out the day before, but Fury had hopes that the doctor could tell her _something _ of her sister's whereabouts.

"Why would I care?" The doctor asked, turning rude the second Loor was mentioned. She had a constantly sour look on her face, but it looked like she was sucking a lemon the very moment the elder sister was spoken about.

"She's my sister." Fury sighed, shaking her head. "I care."

"All I know is that she said something about being 'alone at last,' if that helps you any."

"Alone?" Fury frowned a bit to herself. "Okay, thanks."

"Fury," Sumeyo caught the girl's attention before she could run off. "I know she's your sister... but are you sure that girl is the right type to be around? She's reckless, violent..."

"She's Loor." Fury put in when the dark haired doctor trailed off. "I know she's a bad influence on me... but so is everyone else if you only look at their bad qualities."

"She has good ones?"

Fury actually took a little offense. "Yeah, she does, not that people ever see them."

Sumeyo got the look in Fury's eyes and backed off, nodding for the girl to go.

Fury turned, exiting the hospital on her own. Kiba hadn't come to get her because the hour was too early, the sun hardly shedding light. She hadn't been able to sleep once Sasuke had left the room, worried that the guy would find Loor and aggravate her. She was honestly more worried for Sasuke than Loor, but worried all the same.

Still, she had little chance of finding Loor if the girl had gone to be alone.

But there were other ways of looking.

Fury set her feet to return home.

The door to her apartment was locked, but she had a key. Letting herself in she left her shoes at the door and took a moment to discard her ripped and stained clothes that she'd worn home. They were tatters after the fight with Loor, and covered with blood.

She still hugged herself as she entered the room she and Kiba shared. Sure, he'd seen her in her undies before, but she was a creature of shame. As she entered she found Kiba sound asleep on the bed, both dogs snuggled up to him. She smiled at the quiet scene before turning to the various clothes scattered on the floor. Kiba almost never put his things away, so she helped herself to a pair of his pants and a shirt that didn't smell too terrible.

Once decent, she turned to her sleeping boyfriend.

She sat on the edge of the bed, gently moving the pups out of the way before letting herself down by him, facing him. Half of her wanted to wake him... but the other half said that it was a bad idea. With what she was doing... perhaps waking him up was the worst idea at the moment.

No, no, if she just did what she was planning to do without waking him and telling him, he'd blow his top.

But what if he said she couldn't do it?

He wasn't that mean... was he?

She grabbed his shoulder, shaking him lightly. "Kiba... wake up."

He cracked an eye open, smirking. "I was awake when you came in."

She blinked at him. "Does that mean you... watched me change?" She asked, her face turning red.

His smirk became rather devious. "Maybe."

"Kiba!" She snapped at him. "You... perverted dog!"

He didn't seem bothered by her saying this, slipping one arm out from under the blankets and sliding it around her middle, hugging her. "Call me Rock Hound."

She felt herself turning a shade of red that could rival Hinata, squirming. "K-Kiba! C'mon, I just wanted to ask a favor! We can play around later!"

He chuckled, his other arm coming out from under the blankets to wrap around her shoulders, stilling most of her struggles. "But I might not be playful later." He whined. "That's no fun."

She started kicking, tempted to bite him but knowing that tended to rile him up further when he was like this. Fighting back at all entertained him, but she couldn't just sit there. "I got stuff to do!" She whined back, thudding her head into his chest. "I wanted to know if could borrow Akamaru..."

He dropped out of his teasing tone. "Borrow Akamaru, what for?"

"I need to find someone..." Fury trailed. "He's met them before and has a pretty good memory and a better nose. I just need his help to find someone."

"Why are you being so cryptic?" He questioned, nuzzling the top of her head as she still had her head buried in his chest. "Something going on?"

"I need to find Loor."

Kiba pulled his head back. "Blondie...? You want to talk to her again? So soon? I mean.. you guys only just had that fight. Sure you don't need to spend some time apart to let things simmer down?"

"I'm sure..." She sighed, shaking her head. "Actually, I think she might be afraid to face me right now. I have to go to her, because she won't come to me. She's like that. She may not pussyfoot around an issue when it's right in front of her, but she'll avoid it like the devil when it's far away."

"What do you need to talk to her about?" He seemed very worried, wondering why in the world she'd need to see her bull-dragon-like sister.

"Two things..." She paused. "You noticed it, during that fight? She's changed... something bad happened while she was away, and I need to help her with it. The other thing... I need to tell her why we can't go home. I never got the chance since she took off on that trip. Those issues have to be worked out."

He sighed, slowly nodding. "I did notice. When she started attacking, she didn't seem to be herself. Akamaru and Schizo felt it too... she's got something to her... but what Akamaru said at the time was straight up crazy."

"What was that?" Fury questioned, cocking her head to one side. "Did he sense something? I mean... I could feel the chakra from her curse mark, but there _was_ something else. That's why I'm worried."

"Akamaru said it was like Gaara."

"Gaara?" Fury questioned. "How so?"

"Akamaru, and Schizo it would seem, are capable of sensing people's chakra levels. With that they can remember some chakra signatures if they are really unique. Well... I'd call Gaara pretty unique. His chakra is malicious, murderous, once he breaks the sand out. Akamaru said he felt that, but that's not possible... is it?"

She sighed, relaxing completely in his grasp while thinking. He took a more loving and less constricting hold on her once she became a rag doll in his arms, pulling her away from the edge of the bed.

"I don't know if it is possible..." Fury muttered after a while. "But I gotta know if she's okay. She's got enough riding on her mind... she doesn't need any other issues clogging her up, or I'm sure she'll go insane."

"Asking her is sure to piss her off."

"I'm an expert at handling her when she's angry." She tried for a smile, looking at him before nuzzling him. "Trust me."

* * *

Loor had fallen asleep outside, among the flowers. After her talk with Sasuke she hadn't bothered to move from the clearing, making herself comfortable on the bank of the river and counting stars till she dozed off. She had kept Ryu close at hand, just in case, but nothing disturbed her or the flowers in the night.

No, nothing disturbed her till dawn had come and gone. The morning had made itself clear to the world, not a cloud in the sky on another summer-like day. The flowers had closed as the sun shined on them, the only blooms staying open being the ones in the shade.

In the warm day it was the soft tread of another being that woke her.

Loor cracked her eyes open, noting a figure above her that looked dark against the bright sky. In her dreary stupor, she only spoke four words.

"Don't... crush the flowers..."

"Huh?" The figure above her asked, swaying in her vision. "But... they all look dead."

Surprise wormed its way through Loor's brain as she sat up to look, blurry shapes becoming sharper as she blinked against the morning sun. Slowly, the shriveled and closed blooms became clear. "They..." She trailed, frowning heavily. "They were all in bloom last night... so beautiful."

It was at this time that Loor turned her head back to the figure that had been standing over her, squinting at first before seeing it for who it was.

"Fury..." Loor woke up a bit more at once. "How did you find me?"

Fury bent to Loor's level, sitting in the sand on the river bank, two dogs coming to sit in the younger sister's lap. "A couple of good noses. Kiba let me borrow Akamaru since he remembered your scent, and Schizo needs to get out more."

Loor blinked at the two dogs that had appeared from the undergrowth. She had seen Akamaru before, though he seemed bigger than when she'd last seen him, but she'd never met the other puppy. "Schizo...?"

Fury nodded. "Kiba gave her to me while you were away." She shook her head before Loor could go chasing after that subject. "I need to talk to you."

"What about?" Loor snipped, finally getting to her feet. "I'd expect you to be still sulking at this point, angry with me." She looked back at her sister, having turned away. "Aren't you?"

Fury didn't answer at first. The girl sat quietly, petting the dogs on her lap, biting her lip. "You'd think I'd be sulking... but what's the point in it?" She looked up. "You wanted to teach me something... and you did. No, I'm not mad. I'm gonna be sore for a few days... but as your sister... I understand what you did."

There was silence again. Loor didn't seem to believe her at first, but finally sat down again, facing her. "Alright... what did you want to talk to me about?"

"What happened to you?" Fury questioned. "It's obvious something did, though I have no idea what could have, aside from you meeting up with Orochimaru again. But you... you were acting insane the other night, when you finally attacked, and it seemed like you didn't even remember."

The elder of the two winced before sighing. "I don't... I don't even remember making those scratches on your face." She closed her eyes, frowning heavily.

Fury could see the girl was stressed, perhaps even reaching her breaking point. That was when Loor seemed her calmest, when she was just about to lose it because of all the things on her mind. She'd be prone to silence, and most of her reactions would either be rage or sobbing.

She had something she'd been keeping, and it was driving her insane.

"Loor...? Did... did you see Gaara while you were away?"

She didn't answer at first, staying still as a statue. Akamaru hopped off of Fury's lap and nudged his way into Loor's, sitting on the blond's legs as she started absently petting him.

"Yes... yes I did. He was wounded, so his siblings had to hide out. But I knew that before I even left the village. Temari had come back to see Shikamaru, to look for medicine for Gaara, and I found them meeting right here, in this clearing."

She spoke monotonously, her eyes glazed in memory, staring off as if the past possessed her.

"Temari told Shikamaru that if he saw me... to tell me that Gaara was sorry if I was feeling any pain. Of course... that meant he was. I knew he was still in the country, but I had never expected to run into him."

"When was it? What happened?" Fury prodded.

"Bout five days after we left... we were attacked in the first town we stopped in. Someone tried to kidnap Naruto."

Fury was tempted to jump in and stop her at that, wanting to know the details, but reminded herself that Loor probably had a lot of stories to tell from this trip. She'd take it one at a time.

"When we got to the next place, I went to the bath house and found him there. He was in disguise, but we knew each other. Still, they were only staying till his wound healed. I only got to spend a few days with him..." She sighed, her voice picking up emotion as she felt her loneliness. "One of those nights I explained Lyra to him."

"Really...?" Fury chuckled. "Wow, how did he take that?"

"It made him more comfortable. He felt as if I knew what he'd been through... but the problem was that Shukaku was listening through his ears. He thought that... if he could somehow put his chakra into my body, he could bring Lyra to life. Why he'd want me to have that kind of power, I have no idea. I honestly think his only goal was to threaten me since it's he only way he can still scare Gaara... which means he didn't think his own plan through."

Fury had gone stiff. "But... did it work? Did... is Lyra... _real?" _

"I'm not sure." Loor looked confused, her logical mind fighting with itself. "She speaks on her own, and argues with me. I think it's safe to say she's not a figment of my imagination anymore, but she isn't a full blown demon." She shook her head. "Or I'm just crazy..."

"Has anything else happened?" Fury questioned. "I mean... that makes it look like Shukaku got his way?"

"Yeah. You remember... back when I was in the hospital, when Orochimaru broke my ribs? One morning there was a little bottle of sand on my end table?"

"Yeah."

"It was a gift from Gaara. It was his sand... and while I was gone on that trip... well I almost got really hurt, and the sand in that bottle protected me. All on its own. I did nothing."

"_What?!" _ Fury nearly jumped. "Ya mean... you got the sand control like him? Can you kill people?"

"No." Loor's tone was very flat. "I can't control it myself, or create it out of thin air like Gaara does. It just protects me, and it's only Shukaku's sand that does. Normal sand doesn't do anything."

"Wow..." Fury shook her head slightly.

"You seem to have something on your mind..." Loor narrowed her eyes. "Relating to this?"

"I think... it's just... During our fight, when you attacked, you started talking funny. You'd say 'we' not 'I', and for most of it you spoke in third person."

Loor bit her lip. "Then I don't think I was talking."

"Do you think... Lyra?"

"Yeah."

"Wow... that kinda proves it."

"No shit... she must have gone to the end of her rope though because she's been quiet for a while now."

The clearing became hushed as the two girls thought.

"She wants me dead." Fury muttered, still petting Schizo. The dog had long fallen asleep. "She said it. That it was time for the demon to live without her angel."

"She's threatened by you." Loor gave. "Its just like Gaara and Shukaku. She's going to want to get rid of anyone who would give me any reason to be a good person, any reason not to listen to her... till she learns to like them."

"Great..." Fury muttered sarcastically. "How do you get a demon to like you?"

"I think she's more of a half demon."

"Fine, half demon. Whatever." The younger sister got to her feet, putting her dog on her shoulder and brushing the sand off of her pants. "Either way I don't want her trying to kill me."

"She can't." Loor said shortly, getting up and stretching after pushing Akamaru off of her lap. "She can't force her way out of me."

"Unless you're really pissed, it would seem." Fury indicated the marks on her face. "Or did you forget?"

"No..." Loor shook her head. "I didn't." She then smiled at her younger sister. "I have been picking the scabs for the cuts on my face, so they'll scar over. Kinda a way to remember the fight. Maybe you should do the same?"

Fury put a protective hand over the two lines in her face. "What? Why would I want to do that?"

Loor shrugged, turning to walk out of the clearing along the river bank, as not to disturb the flowers despite the fact that they looked dead. "Markings mean things, Fury. Markings are memories of things past." She stopped, turning her head. "Scars will remind us that the past truly was real... and my marks will remind me that we are sisters. I don't know what they will mean to you."

"But what if I don't make them scar?" Fury asked, whimpering slightly.

"I don't know." Loor shrugged, looking away again. "That's your choice, dear sister."

* * *

I'm trying to get updates online, but life is so cluttered. I'll upload more tonight if I get time.

See you punks next time.

**No ownage. **

-Loor


	56. Danger Zone

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Fifty Six- Danger Zone**

Loor left her clearing after speaking with Fury, leaving her sister alone to mull over what she'd said about markings. Whether Fury liked it or not, things marked people. Be it inside or outside, there were markings all over a person that other people could read at will.

Loor knew those marks very well. She had them, though she did her damnedest to hide most of her scars. Most of those scars were things that couldn't be helped, like her isolated and violent childhood. Still, now and then, something happens to you that you want the whole world to see. Something happens that just makes you want to mark yourself, to show them all, that there's a scar that goes so deep in your mind that it shows on your very face.

And it did show. It showed as she absently picked at the two cuts on her face, half dried blood making her fingers sticky as she wiped it off on her pants.

She got to understand why people undergoing depression cut themselves. Despite the instinct to hide everything... there's the equal instinct to have something as a physical reminder. A need to feel inner pain as outer pain, and see it.

She winced as the scab for the second cut on her face came off in one long piece.

Once she'd wiped her hand again, using the sleeve of her coat to wipe blood from the cuts, she made sure Ryu was secure upon her back before taking off running. She finally felt willing to break out of the woods, so to speak.

She had to face life... as it was. No more hiding in her comfort zone.

The world was waiting.

She slowed to a walk as she left the thick woods behind, finding a foot path and sucking the dried blood off of one finger. She wondered to herself why blood tasted like copper as the path she followed took her away from the trees and into one of the many training fields located all around the woods.

She passed these fields quietly, aiming to return to the main of the village.

She felt a sudden urge, a need. All her thoughts had been swirling about her head and now she felt some form of clarity. One problem had smacked her straight in the head.

Home.

She needed to see Tsunade.

* * *

Fury was cursing herself, beating feet out of the woods with Akamaru in front of her, Schizo running even with her as they followed Loor's path. Fury had stayed to look at the flowers for some time, but realized that she'd forgotten one of her points in talking to Loor.

She had forgotten to tell Loor about the problem with going home! The danger! What Orochimaru was probably planning for them!

They, possibly being villains to their own world!

She spoke in all sorts of colorful languages, trying to make up ground she'd lost by sitting with the dogs for the past half hour. There was something about that clearing, something calming about all the nature around and the river running through it, Fury got to know why Loor liked being there so much. Still, she couldn't stop cussing at herself for forgetting what had to be the most important point of that conversation!

Important, like the dried blood on her fingers from picking the scabs on her face.

She broke out of the woods with the two dogs, following where Akamaru led. It looked like Loor had gone right back into the village, which was fine and dandy. There were only so many places you could go once you were in the village, since as far as Fury knew Loor hadn't gotten into roof hopping yet.

Loor's path was a straight line to main street, and another straight line right up to the Hokage building.

Why did she go there? As far as Fury knew the current Hokage was dead and the new one had come home with Loor on her trip... not that Fury had met the woman. Still, she had to be busy.

Loor never cared if people were busy though.

Fury sighed, shaking her head and puffing after all the running. Akamaru had led the way up the stairs outside of the building, taking the turn into the open doorway on the second floor.

People were walking in the hall within in both directions, making Fury go right down the middle, still jogging to keep up with the dog, apologizing to everyone she bumped into, whimpering as she heard things like paperwork being dropped and other more solid, heavy, things.

Eventually, finally, Akamaru stopped just outside a set of large double doors, one door left a few inches open. Fury sighed slightly, shaking her head and approaching the door as both dogs sat aside, quiet.

Fury could see Loor's blond head of hair from the back, looking through the opening in the door.

"Loor, what in the hell are you doing here?" Asked a rude female voice that actually sounded quite a bit like Loor, but older. "We're busy here. My announcement is tomorrow, there's things to do."

Was that the new Hokage talking? She... sounded like a bitch.

Loor took a step away from the door, letting Fury see into the room. A blond woman, who looked not a day over twenty, sat on a large green cushion. She had huge breasts, wore a gray sleeveless kimono top, and had a green coat shrugged around her shoulders. She also had a purple diamond shaped mark in the middle of her forehead.

Was this the new Hokage? She looked so young...

"Who are you?" An older voice snapped at Loor, sounding to be near the back of the room where Fury couldn't see them. "You can't just barge into the Hokage's quarters!"

Loor turned her head to where the older person had spoken, smirking. "The door was open, so I let myself in. Next time you wanna restrict entrance, invent a key." She then turned her gaze upon Tsunade. "And I know you're busy, so am I. But listen, lady, I got a thing or two to say to you."

"You have nothing to say to the lady Hokage!" The old voice steamed. "State who you are or we will have you thrown out of the village!"

Loor suddenly left Fury's field of view, and she heard someone thudding against a wall.

Fury bit her lip. Loor often held people to walls when she wanted to get through a thick skull.

"Name's Loor." Fury heard. "And trust me, this is _all_ about me leaving the village."

Tsunade had gotten to her feet. "Loor, put him down!"

There was a thud of someone hitting the floor. "Sorry," Loor's sarcastic apology. "I'm a little straightforward when I have a mission in mind."

The old guy was coughing. "L-L-Lady Tsunade... you know this little snipe?"

"She helped in bringing me to the village." Tsunade stated, sitting back down as Loor walked back into view. "So, Loor, what's so important that you have to get violent about it?"

"My going home, that's what." Loor stared evenly at Tsunade. "I assume someone has already told you my story."

"Jiraiya." Tsunade confirmed.

Fury bit her lip. Was she too late? What if Loor made things solid with Tsunade now? There'd be no changing anyone's mind!

"But there's something you should consider before you go." Tsunade's gaze flicked up. "Leave us alone, please."

Fury felt adrenaline through her body, backing away from the door, looking for a place to hide. Still, there was none, and eventually she backed right into traffic. A passing person bumped her forward, sending her right through the slightly open doors.

She landed with a crash, attracting everyone's attention, including the old official that was just leaving the room.

Loor chuckled. "Nice of you to drop in, Fury."

Tsunade looked at Loor. "This is your sister?"

Loor nodded as the old man edged out of the room, shutting the doors behind him. "Yeah, though we're nothing alike." She chuckled, offering a hand of help to Fury as the two dogs that had followed Fury in went to go smell Tsunade.

"I... I need to talk to you." Fury huffed, still winded from her long run from the woods. "It's about going home..."

"Well, looks like we're all on the same subject." Tsunade smirked, waving a hand. "Sit, both of you."

Fury, who was half up, let go of Loor's hand to land back on her butt, calling the dogs over to sit on her lap as Loor let herself down to the ground.

"Well... who starts?" Tsunade asked.

Loor reacted first, cutting Fury off before she could speak. "Fury and I need to get home. There are people who have no idea what happened to us, and lives that we completely left behind. I'd say we'd stay for another month to finish up anything we might have going here, and say our goodbyes."

"That's rather cold." Tsunade commented.

"It's the way it has to be." Loor returned. "Fury and I should have never come here in the first place... and though I thank Kakashi for saving our lives, I still wish I had never seen this village."

Fury snorted.

Loor turned her head to her sister. "You got somethin' to say?"

Fury glanced at her before ducking her head down. "No..."

"Then why did you snort?"

"I..." Fury's voice faded.

"Loor, perhaps if you didn't act so angry she'd be more apt to talk." Tsunade interjected.

Loor glanced between the new Hokage and her sister, sighing. "Sorry."

"... it's just..." Fury ventured. "You only wish that because you got hurt."

"Hm...?" Loor felt her eyes turning hostile, but with a stabbing look from Tsunade she eased off.

"You were always set on going home, but you never disliked this place... not until Gaara left the picture."

"Gaara?" Tsunade questioned. "That's not a Fire country name."

"No..." Loor sighed, shaking her head. "It's a Wind country name. Gaara was here for the Chunnin exams a few months ago. He... had some issues. We got to be very close..." She huffed slightly, crossing her arms. "But its not very likely we'll ever see each other again, so there's no hope holding on to those feelings."

There was a slight awkward silence. Loor woke up after a little while to note both Tsunade and Fury were watching her, perhaps waiting for a violent outburst.

"Sorry." She said sincerely, looking at Fury. "Still, you came in here wishing to make a point. That being?"

"We can't go home."

The silence went from awkward to shocked.

"I realized it before you left on your trip, but I couldn't leave the hospital to go find and tell you. Lee and Kiba helped me figure it out... but I told them I'd tell you, because it was my responsibility as your little sister."

She took a deep breath, as if trying to collect her thoughts.

"We're weapons."

Tsunade seemed to let off a breath. Fury had come to the same conclusion that she and the other adults had. Orochimaru's plan had been unraveled.

"What?" Loor questioned.

"We were both marked, Loor." Fury's eyes were wide, pleading her sister to listen. "And as far as I know the marks bind us to the will of who marked us. Don't you think that Orochimaru marked us because being from another world makes us special? He didn't know if we were strong, or even able of becoming strong, but I'm almost sure that he plans to take over our world at some time... and he plans to use us in the attack because we're from there! He plans to use whatever we know about our world against it!"

Silence.

"It won't work."

"How do you know?" Fury questioned. "Has he ever forced the mark on you?"

"He can't anymore!" Loor snapped. "His arms are destroyed, ruined, incapable of jutsu of any type! Tsunade herself said he's walking dead!"

"I know that, but..." Fury took a deep breath. "I wonder about something else."

"What?"

"Are we sure it was Orochimaru who marked me?" Fury asked, feeling feeble before her sister's fiery temper.

The question met no answer.

"You... you told me Kabuto was his subordinate... and though I really hate to believe that, I guess I have to believe it. And in believing that Kabuto _is_ Orochimaru's right hand man... do you think he could have learned the curse jutsu? If he did..." She slowly looked at Loor. "I'm in danger."

Loor took this silently, thinking, her brain working quite hard. "Fury... Orochimaru was at the chunnin exams during the invasion, yes? He fought Sarutobi."

"Right. Disguised as the Kazekage." Fury suddenly got where Loor was going with this. "Wait... he was up in the Hokage box. He couldn't have marked me without leaving it... so... the person disguised at the ABUN who did..."

"It would have had to been Kabuto." Tsunade concluded for them. "Which still puts Fury at risk... it's dangerous for you two to go home... but equally dangerous for you to stay here. Konoha is no safer than anywhere else. Yes, we have the ABUN Black ops. for special cases, security, and walls... but it's already been proven that those checks can be overcome by a stealth agent or two."

The girls stared at the adult, as if she could give answers. Loor was rendered down from her rage, her face calm but searching. Fury looked desperate for the right choice.

"Your home might actually be more safe. I don't know about population where you live, or what people notice, or security, or anything else... but if it would be more likely for a person to be noticed where you're from, then it would truly be safer."

"How so?" Loor questioned. "We've already seen how if the curse mark is activated it effects the user's personality and their will."

"But I didn't completely lose my mind." Fury muttered. "It made me want to get strong, it made me want to fight... but there were other tugs that I was able to resist."

"So the curse mark can't make you run away." Tsunade smiled slightly, nodding. "If Kabuto wanted to train you, and get you to trust him enough to fight for his master's cause, he'd have to kidnap you."

Fury shuddered. She missed knowing Kabuto as her friend.

"I will give you two a month." Tsunade said with finality. "And then you may chose to leave." She watched them carefully. "Agreed?"

The sisters glanced at each other before nodding.

"Good." Tsunade watched both girls get up. "Oh yes, by the by... one of you should report to Kakashi. He was wondering if you two wished to continue training with his team."

"I think so." Loor looked to her sister. "Unless you have an objection..."

"No, not at all." Fury shrugged. "I've been hanging out with Sakura a lot anyway. It'll be nice to train with her. She was teaching me how to do genjutsu, but it's really complicated."

"Okay." Loor nodded. "I'll do that."

Fury nodded, and the sisters left the room together. They parted ways after getting out of the Hokage building and back on the streets, Loor turning her own way and Fury heading home.

She had to feed the dogs.

* * *

"Kabuto-san!"

"Hm...? Rishu, you shouldn't be here."

"I need to speak with Orochimaru-sama!"

"... why in the world would you need that, Rishu? Orochimaru-sama's temper is very short right now..."

"I got my parents' headbands."

"Yes? And they were honored properly for their deaths, above the others for what they did for this village. Why would you need to speak to Orochimaru-sama?"

"Nobody told me who killed them! They died on a special mission, I should at least know who killed them!"

"... Rishu, you're no more than thirteen. Do you really need your mind quagmired with revenge?"

"The invasion was not successful. The least I can do is make sure that they did not die in vain. That's my job as their son... I have to find who killed them."

"The person who killed them is not responsible... but let me assure you, Isaki and Ryoshi did not die in vain."

"What do you mean the person who killed them is not responsible?"

"Your parents were part of a plan... and the only reason we needed them to perform their task was because a girl was messing up our plans. A girl little younger than you."

"Her name?"

"Her name means nothing. Know that she exists, and that she has no idea of her crime. To punish her would be cruel."

"How so?!"

"She's lost just as much as you, Rishu. And more."

"But how could someone lose more than I have?? My parents are _dead_ Kabuto-san! What more is there to lose?"

"You are an only child, Rishu-kun. Dead parents are one thing... dead siblings are another."

"She... I don't care!! It's her fault, she has to pay for it, and if I have to talk to Orochimaru to find out where she is, I will!"

"Rishu, get back here! Rishu! You little...you have no idea... Get back here!"

* * *

Tee-hee... I'd been looking forward to Rishu's introduction for a while now. Now I can put pictures of him up on deviant art!! XP

Gotta love teenagers bent on revenge, right?

Keh-heh-heh...

**I don't own Naruto.**

See you next time punks.

-Loor


	57. Lyra

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Fifty Seven- Lyra**

Loor had gone back to the woods.

She had no intention of seeing looking for Kakashi now that that sun had set. No, the sensei was elusive enough during the day, and she wasn't going to go looking for him at night. Instead, she'd taken Ryu home and went to her clearing unarmed.

As she entered she had her breath taken away, the flowers in bloom once more. The shriveled petals that seemed to die under the sun flourished in the misty moonlight, every color showing in brilliance despite the dark that usually sapped such bright hues, reducing them to shades of gray. These flowers seemed to resist this power of the night, almost glowing in their dresses of maroon, navy, violet, white, blood red, sky blue, golden yellow, and every shade between, glittering with drops of water that accumulated during the night.

Loor's nose took in their pleasant perfume as she trod among them, her bare feet picking a careful path.

Eventually she came again to where she had laid on the bank of the river the night before. Once she was on her back she found herself taking in the moon, and it's rotation; mostly full and waning.

"Beautiful night, isn't it?"

She didn't even get the chance to take in the gleam of the stars.

In seconds Loor had rolled to the side and up to all fours, hugging low to the ground and glancing around for the voice she had heard. It had come from behind her, for sure, but where? And who had it been?

It had been a girl, but not Fury. No, this voice was sweeter, but also solid. She spoke with honey, but also with malice.

"Did I scare you?"

Behind her again?

_What the hell?_

Loor turned to the voice, her eyes searching across the river, frantic to find the voice. So sweet, it almost had a smell, the smell you'd expect off of rotting fruit. Sweet, but sickeningly so. It had a taste too, and a silky texture that spoke temptation and disaster.

"It's been a long time since we've fought, you know."

Loor looked forward again and saw feet. The person had shown herself, and Loor studied her as she looked up. She stood on the front of her feet, toes seeming to grip the ground with nails that curved down like claws made of black shadow. Skin pale as snow, with a faint purple tinge, the person... or creature had strong legs that led up to wide hips.

Loor looked no higher than her legs, as the black tip of a tail flicked in front of the creature's knees, moving back and then around the other way, flicking again to hit Loor's nose. The fur was silken, soft, but Loor knew better than to touch.

"I'm hallucinating." Loor muttered, looking back at the black clawed toes. "Aren't I? Please tell me I am... or dreaming?"

"If you were dreaming I would have a different face, Loor." The creature giggled, having the devil's honeyed voice and lust's figure. She bent, seating her rear on her heels while having no care to her short purple tunic showing private parts. Loor looked upon her feet for as long as possible, but eventually the creature reached a clawed hand to Loor's chin, forcing her head up so they met eyes.

Loor didn't want to see this. She hated to see this.

"Thing is... the last time we fought, I still looked like you when you could see me."

Lyra stared at Loor, smirking.

Loor wanted to run, but knew better yet again. She stared at a waking dream, a mania that her brain refused to stamp out.

Loor had fought with herself in the past, envisioning another figure like her own to attack, but she alone knew the truth of the driving force behind it.

Still... that force had never been alive.

She looked at Lyra's animal-like face, wishing she could die in that moment. What skin was still Lyra's, the light purple hue, looked soft and smooth, perfect to touch and tempting. It was different than the patch of sand on the left side of her face, which looked ugly and rough. The hair on her head was as silky as the stuff on her tail, but long enough to reach the small of her back, wild but clean. Her ears, pitched forward, were pointed like a cat's but longer.

All soft, all tempting...

All killer.

"Do you hate me so much you can say nothing?" Lyra asked, her voice musical, almost hypnotizing. "I know better than to suggest you're scared."

"It's spread..." Loor finally stated. "The... the sand around that fang... it got bigger."

Lyra put her head to one side, as if confused, but then chuckled at Loor. "Of course it did, the full moon passed, did it not?" The beast came to grin, showing off all of her lethal teeth. Among those teeth was the oversized fang from Shukaku. Around that fang was a coat, a shell, of sand that had been expanding upon Lyra's skin since she'd gotten it. It had taken the left half of her face, her left eye changing to the golden eye like Shukaku's eyes with the same diamond pupil. Now it had spread further, across her nose to the right side of her face, down her neck to her left shoulder and also down between her ample breasts, making veins upon her skin bulge and burn red-purple. "I let the power take me, I let it spread, and I became more and more alive. Perhaps in a few years, perhaps when we're adults, I'll be a true demon instead of some whelp. Won't that be _terrific?" _

"It'll be terrifying!" Loor finally found the energy to throw herself to her feet and back from Lyra, which in turn put Loor standing up to her knees in the cold flow of the river. "What do you want with power? A few months ago you were nothing more than a thought, a figment, a stress outlet, nothing more! Before I started writing, you didn't even exist! What do you want with this world?!"

"Didn't exist?" Lyra waded out to follow her host, her tail lifting to stay out of the water. Loor noted the water rippling around the creature, but knew it to be a trick of her mind. She would not be convinced that a hallucination was real. "What do you mean? I was always _there,_ you just hadn't given me a form, a voice, a personality, or anything else. You had always talked to yourself, always made up stories, pretended with yourself, sang to yourself, everything. You always acted as if someone else were there... since you were always alone."

The gold in Lyra's eye glinted, glowed.

"As for what I want with this world..." The beast had come close, beast and girl touching noses, eyes locked. Loor found herself half lost, sinking comfortably into the black shadow of Lyra's right eye, but fearing the liquid gold of the left. "I don't know yet. There's so much of this world to see before I decide what to do with it."

Loor's heart thudded in her chest, and she was sure Lyra knew it. That's how Loor made her; supposedly the perfect killer. In nights of imagination Lyra had started as a mindless beast, but Loor thought such a dark slinky form to be more cunning, more aware. Her senses were imagined to be peaked, knowing people by smell, hearing things no human would hear, and eyes so sensitive and formed to the night that light more than the full moon at peak brilliance would put her into incredible pain.

Loor wondered if that vision was half gone with the Shukaku eye in her left socket.

"Do you have a reason for disturbing me like this?" Loor finally asked, not backing away. She stood in the freezing water, wiggling her toes just to make sure they were still there.

"I think I already said it, dearest." She giggled again, malevolence in her voice. "I wanted to fight you. You've forgotten how we used to fight, I'd guess. Do you miss it at all?"

"Miss it?" Loor questioned softly herself, thinking. She used to fight with this figment to get stress out of her system and work out problems with the beat of the battle. Since she started talking to people, starting with Lee, Loor had not needed the outlet as much. Perhaps she would have needed it if her need to fight hadn't been taken out in spars and battles, but without the need she didn't miss it at all.

"No..." Lyra answered for her. "Of course you don't... but you have never truly fought with me."

Loor felt the urge to wrinkle her nose. Even Lyra's breath reflected bodily temptation by smelling as sweet as her voice. "What do you mean by that? We used to fight all the time last year, almost every night over everything!"

"I was not _alive_ last year!" Lyra's voice rose to a hiss, bearing her fangs and shoving Loor further into the river, growling softly as the girl recovered, the water running up to her ribs. "I existed but I lacked the true gift of _life._ Now that it's been given to me... I want to fight you, because your victory is no longer a sure thing... I could beat you."

Loor shivered at the cold water and Lyra's words. Lyra truly was the beast Loor made her to be... but if she was everything Loor created her as, then the animal had to have another motive she wasn't talking about. Lyra was always tricky like that.

"Ah, you already figured it out." Lyra chuckled, taking a step forward, towards Loor. Still, she stepped high, her foot mounting the water instead of sinking through.

Loor felt energy in her person being sapped. Not her chakra particularly, but the chakra Shukaku given to Lyra. She was using chakra to stand on the water! But why would she have to if she was a hallucination?

Or perhaps Lyra had found a way to make a physical apparition of herself?

"Don't be silly." Lyra answered Loor's frantic thoughts as her host also moved to stand upon the water instead of in it. "I couldn't possibly make myself a body with the little bit of chakra I have to myself... even though it grows with each full moon that passes. No, only you can see me..."

The animal suddenly vanished, though Loor sensed where she'd gone. Lyra stood close once more, behind her, breathing down the blond human's neck.

"Hear me..."

Her breath was warm, Loor could feel, like any other animal. It brushed past her ear, making a tremor go through her.

"Or feel me."

Loor felt Lyra's claws rest on her stomach.

"You wouldn't kill me." Loor muttered, staring forward.

"We already covered this." Lyra chuckled. "I _can't._ Think of this like a complex genjutsu that you can't get away from. I'm just messing with electricity in your brain, sending your senses impulses that imply that I'm next to you, talking to you. Of course, the more I do, the more of my energy I have to use to make your brain believe it and not reject it... but enough of that."

Loor could feel her energy sapped further as Lyra's claws dug in slightly, pricking blood. "I want to fight you again, Loor. You see... you always fought me when _you_ had problems, but now _I_ have a problem... and I'd _love _ to talk to you about it."

Loor kicked off of the water under her feet, landing on the sandy bank again and facing her demon, literally, panting slightly from the close brush with the creature. Lyra was a powerful force, and though terrifying she begged a watcher to touch her with every move.

Loor got the feeling that Lyra's problem had to do with another piece of her original nature.

"Well... talk." Loor finally said through gritted teeth.

"No..." Lyra giggled, leaping forward. "Fight!"

Loor told herself that the beast would be weightless, since she didn't exist. She wanted to think it would be like catching air, but her mind didn't believe her and her body had already braced to take the tackle from Lyra without falling.

She caught the beast and felt a wash in her senses. Taking hold of the beast's soft skin, feeling her silky hair, smelling the sweet scent, a person could have swooned at the sensory overload. Resisting, Loor felt a wave of dizziness while turning and throwing Lyra into the flowers.

She panted slightly, being able to breathe again.

Lyra was giggling hysterically.

"What?!" Loor snapped. "What's so damn funny?"

"I finally get what I want..." Lyra had lifted to her feet from the flowers, which were unharmed. "It's so rare."

Loor stared at the beast. She wanted to strike, but unlike Lyra she would damage the flowers if she went among them, which she had no wish to do. Lyra knew this, Loor was sure, which is why the animal was slinking forward, out of the flowers, while keeping distance from the body she was based in.

"What did you want to talk about, Lyra?!" Loor snarled, stepping forward once Lyra had set her beastly feet in the sandy bank. "What do you have to fight me for?"

Lyra was suddenly in Loor's face, smirking, _purring._ "Freedom. I see you with your _body," _ her claws set under Loor's chin, the points needle sharp. "And as frail as it is I feel jealousy. So much... potential to live, and yet you choose to sulk, and waste away."

Loor swallowed. Lyra may have lived only in Loor's mind, but if it hadn't already been proven, the mind was a very powerful thing. Lyra's claws _felt_ sharp.

She kicked back, away from the dark beast, steadying in the sand before coming forward again, shoving her elbow into Lyra's ribs before the creature could dodge or block. "Waste away? Sulk? What are you talking about??"

Lyra bent over backwards when struck and landed her hands on the ground, springing backwards and landing on her feet, dashing and rounding a kick into Loor's head. Whether Lyra was real or not, Loor saw stars from the impact. "I'm talking about your _petty_ loneliness! You _choose_ to stay like this when there are so many prospects all around you. Male, female, healthy, handsome, beautiful, _sexy, _ and you ignore it to sulk over someone you _know_ is lost!"

Loor snarled, feeling rage. No, in this situation, she didn't just feel it. It burned her skin as it always did, but also filled her mouth with a copper taste like blood, her ears and eyes going sharp upon her target at the mention of her loneliness, and the thought of betrayal. "What in the world would you suggest I do?! Give up??" She snapped, her daze gone to retaliate by throwing herself to the ground and rounding to kick Lyra's feet from under her, using the spin to come back to her own feet. "Do you want me to forget about him?! I tried to forget him, I failed! I _can't!" _

Lyra rolled away from Loor before getting to her feet again.

Loor noted that Lyra's claws looked longer, sharper, than normal.

"Forget Gaara?" Lyra questioned, snickering. "Oh, I admit that _is_ impossible. I mean, after all he's done for you... all you've done for him, forgetting him would be a sin. But you don't have to forget him to keep playing the game... not when you have so many tasty prospects around you every day." Lyra suddenly made her charge, claws out, striking across Loor's body as the blond girl attempted to guard. She bellowed when she felt claws ripping through the arms she'd crossed over her chest, being turned around by the force and thrown to the sand, face landing in it. "And honestly, Loor, it doesn't matter if you agree with me or not. I _know_ what you think deep down I know everything about you."

Loor felt her body shake.

Fear. How dare she feel fear?! She promised herself she'd never be afraid again, not of Orochimaru, not of Lyra, not of anything!

But she trembled, frozen, as the black beast sat on her back, her tail bobbing back and forth.

"I won't..." Loor muttered. "There's no game to play... no one I want to play it with..."

"You lie." Lyra snorted, seeming content with victory. "And you know it. There's so much to _play_ with here, Loor, and I'm going to make you see it. Remember, I can influence you. I did it before... I made you punch Naruto, remember? I won't... _can't, _ make you do things, but I can suggest it." She bent over Loor, the giant fang in her maw brushing Loor's ear as she whispered. "I can hiss little things in your ear, make you think about the possibilities... and make you want to do what I want."

"And what _do_ you want?" Loor questioned, shifting to try and get away but finding herself unable. Lyra felt as if she carried all the weight in the world at the moment, holding Loor to the ground.

"I want you to have fun, Loor. I want you to smile again." She nuzzled Loor's neck now, the sandy side of her face feeling grainy on the girl's skin. "You yourself are rather desirable, I should know. I live with you. But everyone is more desirable when they smile... perhaps that's why you find Naruto so attractive, since he's almost always smiling."

"Huh??" Loor struggled harder now. "How did you know about that?! I never told anyone I thought he was cute!"

"I live in your head, Loor. I know _everything. _ You find Naruto cute, Neji sexy despite his arrogance, Lee gorgeous when he's not wearing a shirt... and oh the thoughts you've had about _Gaara. _ You must love him for how much you think about him and dream of him. You may not remember those dreams but I do. I hold your every secret, Loor. Even the ones you didn't even know you had."

"Hello? Is anyone out here?"

Lyra perked up, smirking. "Oh, looky here... your yell must've attracted someone. I wonder who?"

Loor was finally let up as Lyra sprang off of her, bounding away to claw her way up a tree at the side of the clearing. Loor could still see her, but she had to remind herself that whoever was coming wouldn't be able to.

She then looked down at her arms.

The pain was gone, along with the ripped flesh.

"Hello?" The voice called again.

"Here!" Loor shouted back. The least she could do was put the person at ease.

Moments later she could hear the person's movements through the woods.

A second after that... Neji stepped into the area.

Loor blinked at him. Once. Twice.

She instantly felt angry. Sure, he had come to see why a person was yelling in the woods in the middle of the night, but this was _her_ place! Of all the people she wanted to see this place, he was not one of them!!

"Oh." He frowned as if he was even less thrilled to be there than she was to have him there. "It's you."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Loor snapped, snarling. At least she could fight this one.

"When I hear a yell in the woods... I tend to try and find out what's happening." His white eyes narrowed on her. "But why were you bellowing is the question..."

Loor felt herself color up. "Wild animal. Nearly got me, and I was sure it had bit me, but it didn't." She held her arms out to the side to show there had been no harm done. "See? Alls well. You can go away now."

He snorted, shaking his head. "You stupid girl. Don't train out in the woods if you're not prepared to deal with the animals. They're all over the place."

Loor had a sharp reply on the tip of her tongue, but forgot it was there as she noticed movement in the trees near Neji.

Lyra was creeping. She was crawling among the low tree limbs, slinking towards Neji with her eyes locked upon him. She had a grin that made Loor want to scream, more of for insanity than fear.

Neji saw where her gaze was and looked. Seeing nothing, he turned back to her. "What are you staring at?"

"Eh?" She shook her head, trying to ignore the black beast, which had now jumped down. "Uh... n-nothing.. I just think it's a good time for you to leave."

He blinked. Loor had stuttered. As far as she knew, the girl never did that. No, she was too busy bickering with him to stutter. "Are you well?"

"I'm not sick if that's what your asking."

Lyra stood behind Neji, moving her gaze from him to Loor. The animal was grinning. "Loor..." Her musical voice said. "Watch."

Loor felt shock go through her as Lyra's claws ripped Neji's shirt to shreds in a sudden movement, exposing his body beneath. He was slim, and fit, as far as Loor could see. She stared as Lyra continued from there, putting her hands to Neji's tight and trim stomach while still standing behind him, staring at Loor with a laser like gaze while setting her pale lips to the boy's neck.

Loor blushed and blinked, causing the strange vision to vanish. Neji still stood, his shirt still there, and Lyra gone from view.

"I said you don't look well. Do you need to be walked home, _Loor?." _ Neji said, poison in his voice.

Loor blinked several more times to make sure the hallucination was gone. "I... I... uh.. eh..." She felt her face burning from what Lyra showed her, cursing herself for watching.

He turned, looking back at her. "Lee would never let me hear the end of it if I let you walk home looking like that. Come on."

Loor wished her knees didn't feel so squishy.

* * *

Muhuhaha!!

Yeah, that's Lyra for you. Kinda asserts herself, no?

And Loor is boy crazy, just like ME!! Of course Loor is my thirteen year old self, but eventually this story will be mirroring my sixteen year old self, and then Loor is gonna be the biggest pervert on the planet.

Well... maybe not bigger than Kankuro, but you get the picture. XP

**I don't own Naruto.**

See you punks next time.

-Loor


	58. Closure

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Fifty Eight- Closure**

Lee had a slight spring in his step this particular morning. Well, all the spring a person with a crutch could have. One could ask why he was in such a cheery mood, and they would find that Lee had told the Hokage of his decision to go through with the surgery. What was more, the Hokage had informed Lee that after extensive research the success rate of the surgery had gone from fifty percent to sixty eight percent.

He felt good about his decision, and felt quite sure that he would survive. After the surgery, he would take up the shinobi life again. He'd train harder than ever!

But he had to get better first...

He was crutching back to his room after a session of physical therapy, wishing the day of his surgery would come sooner. He had no patience of being on his back all the time like this, and Lady Hokage knew it.

But she had set the date two weeks out, 'So you'll really be ready' she'd said.

Now the spring in his step was impatience and excitement.

He came into his room, hobbled to his bed and put the crutch aside. He sat and stretched forward over his knees before lying back.

"You look happy."

He suddenly sat up, startled, glancing around.

"N-Neji-senpai!" Lee addressed, seeing his teammate standing by the door, looking none too thrilled to be there. "Why are you here?"

Neji didn't answer at first, frowning and deliberating on his answer. "Looking out for an enemy. I saw Loor last night... she didn't seem well. Actually, she seemed a little sick, distracted, and maybe even a bit scared."

"What do you care about her? You two hate each other."

"I was expecting her to ask for a rematch, and was rather looking forward to the outburst she was sure to give when I rejected her. Instead..." He trailed off. "Just go see what's wrong with her."

Lee stared for a moment, and then slowly mounted his crutch. "She will not want to hear that you were concerned about her."

"I'm not." Neji shrugged, turning to leave. "I just find her much more entertaining when she's being normal."

* * *

Everything was a mess. Everything that could have been out of order in the sparse apartment, was. Things were thrown about, moved from their normal places, and knocked over as if a drunkard had wandered through. Though it had happened just the night before the apartment took on the feeling that it had always been this messy, this disastrous, as if it was meant to be that way.

At the center of this mess, curled upon the bed under the window, was Loor.

She hadn't slept, unable. She had curled upon that bed in hopes of shutting everything out, including Lyra, but it hadn't worked. She'd been awake the whole night, Lyra hissing little things in her ear, prowling about the room, poking Loor with a sharp claw when the girl had managed to doze off.

And no matter what... Loor wasn't able to shake the images, the memories, of what Lyra did the whole way home. Loor had been silent when she walked home with Neji, not wanting to talk, and hugging herself the whole way as if something was going to come out and attack her. Neji ignored her, of course, but Lyra took advantage of the whole situation.

Loor shook her head violently as it crawled back into her brain, shoving her head deep into the pillow she was clutching, the blanket tangled around her middle, constricting her. She didn't want to think about Neji like _that!_ She didn't want to think about anyone in that way, no one!

"Really?" Lyra's sugary voice, the voice that had kept her awake all night, inquired. Anything that crossed Loor's brain, she might as well have said. "What about Gaara?"

Loor didn't move. She didn't speak. She did her best not to think poisonous thoughts at the beast.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

"Hm...?" Lyra questioned as Loor lifted her head slightly from the pillow. "We have company."

"...go away!" Loor gave, her voice sounding like a agonized groan.

"Loor?" A male voice questioned at the other side of the door. "Are you sick?"

Loor shoved her head back into the pillow. The voice was Lee, coming to check on her for whatever reason.

_Lyra... please, leave me alone. Go away. Just go away..._

"Now what would be the fun in that?" Loor felt the creature's hand on her shoulder. "I'm just having fun."

_At my expense!! Don't you understand what you're doing to me?! _

"Loor?" Lee's voice continued to inquire at the door. "I am coming in."

Loor heard the sound of the door opening, but she didn't want to move. She knew she had to look like shit. First from not sleeping, and second from frustrated crying for most of the night.

"Loor... what is wrong?"

She had to look at him. At the very least she had to look at him.

She lifted her head, sniffing and staring at him through blurred vision. "Lee..." She muttered.

He stood on one crutch, wearing his usual green attire rather than the blue hospital robe, his brown eyes wide with worry. He must have been taking in her poor condition.

"Loor... Loor-chan... what happened?"

She licked her lips, wondering if she could speak. She'd been at war with herself all night, how could she possibly speak?

He crutched closer to her, eventually dropping the crutch and sitting on the bed to be next to her.

She stared at him for a few seconds more before putting her head back into the pillow she was clutching. "Go away..." She whimpered. Her voice was pathetic, and pained.

"Only when you tell me what happened."

Loor winced. Lee always kept his word. Now that he said that, he wouldn't leave the room till he had answers.

"Please look at me."

"No." She clutched at the pillow again, feeling as if it was her lifeline. Keeping her face buried in that pillow was her only way of surviving, of blocking out the mania that was prowling about the room. And now that Lee was there, that was more important than ever. "I can't. Please go."

She felt his hand on her shoulder, and flinched away. She curled upon herself, gritting her teeth. She hated doing this to him, but she couldn't... she was afraid, she would admit it. What Lyra could do, would do, scared her. What Lyra could _make_ her do, make her want to do, were thoughts Loor did not want.

"...what happened to you?" Lee asked quietly, patiently. "Loor, you are not yourself. What has you this way? I do not like to see you like this... I want to help you."

"You can't." She answered, the pillow only pressed upon her eyes and nose, her mouth left free as not to smother herself, though she was tempted. "The only way you could help is if you went somewhere I couldn't see you."

"What...? Why?"

"I am not myself because my mind is not mine!!"

She had bellowed this, tears returning.

"I'm insane, and the best thing for you is to leave me the hell alone, so I don't do anything to you!"

She sniffed, sobbing with the want to scream.

"... insane? Loor, what has happened to you?"

She finally lifted from the pillow, willing to strike him if she had to. He had to leave, for his own good!

He caught her upraised hands, as if anticipating her lashing out. He looked at her seriously now that they had met eyes. His chocolate brown eyes were smoldering, determined.

Her blue hues glanced to the side, looking for Lyra in the room, heart beating in her throat.

"What are you looking for?" He asked, holding her wrists fast. "Is someone here?"

She locked eyes with him again, opening her mouth. "I told you... my mind is not mine. I'm crazy, seeing things... things I never wanted to see."

"Tell me." Lee said earnestly. "I will not laugh at you."

"Laughing is the least of my problems, Lee." She gave, relaxing her arms so he'd let them go. "You can laugh all you want."

"Help me understand what has happened."

She bit her lip, looking around again. She didn't see Lyra, but that didn't mean the beast had finally gone away. No, she was sure Lyra was just waiting for the opportune moment.

She finally took a deep breath, looking at him again. Tears still leaked from her eyes, but she tried not to let it block her speech as she did her very best to explain.

She explained as much as she could, starting with the figment Lyra was originally, what Shukaku did, and the half demon Lyra was now... and what she was doing. Loor was sure she was finally off her rocker, and she wasn't coming back. She explained how awkward walking home with Neji had been, when Lyra was so focused on using the strange visions to arouse her.

She explained that she was afraid that Lyra would do that to boy she found cute, which was pretty much every male she knew in her age group aside from Kiba, Sasuke, and Shino.

Lee suddenly understood why she wanted him to leave so badly.

"This behavior... she's taken on the role of my subconscious and made it conscious." Loor closed her eyes to rest them. "People do this, use others to replace those they've lost. Lyra is trying to force me into that behavior, when most people just do it on the subconscious urge. It's an unhealthy behavior though. The relationships started through it are shallow, short, and unsatisfying. It's like a drug addict looking for a new fix."

"If you have her so figured out... why can you not resist what she does?"

Lee had sat and listened to everything Loor had said, attentive to her every word. She was sure he was having trouble believing her, but he trusted her after seeing the mess she'd made of the apartment and herself. She wouldn't do this without reason.

"Because she's playing with emotions. Emotions... It's what she's originally made out of, emotions I tend to ignore till they explode. Thus, like them, she is not a logical creature, just like my emotions themselves cannot be made logical." She sighed, shaking her head. "That's not why she toys with them though. Not cause its easy for her, she wants me to be happy. She thinks that behaving that way will make me that way."

"Is she right?"

Good question.

"Not in the long run." Loor laid the pillow she'd been clutching flat, getting away from the blanket she'd been tangled in and putting it over herself neatly, on the flat of her back once more to relax. "She doesn't think about how much it hurts afterwards though... she's looking for the instant result. And to her it doesn't hurt, it'll only hurt me."

"So what would make you happy, Loor?" Lee asked. "If Lyra wants you to be happy, provide her with an alternative."

Loor frowned. "I hate myself for this... I am my own person, independent, and yet I find my happiness and in turn my mind dependent on someone else."

He sighed. She didn't have to say a name, they both knew who she was talking about. "A sad fact about love. While a person has the power to make you happy, they have the equal power to make you sad... it is a power you must trust them with, and trust it will not be abused."

"I _do_ trust him." Her voice was cold. "Its not his fucking fault that he had to disappear."

"Then let go. Do not forget, but forgive either him or yourself for him having to leave the picture... whoever you are blaming. Then move on. Build something new, something that makes you happy."

"I'm not a dependent!" She snapped, sitting up and opening her eyes again. They burned with anger. "I don't _need_ to be in a relationship to be happy! I don't need anybody! Every person is an island and can be an island!"

"I said build something. I did not say a relationship." He was very calm, staring at her evenly. "You must let go of the past before moving on to anything, love related or not." He then took a small smile. "And despite your independence... I do believe you are boy crazy. There is nothing wrong with that."

She stared, blinking dumbly for a moment before sighing. "At the moment, there's everything wrong with it. Lyra's toying with emotions I never show to anyone. It makes me wanna lock myself away, just so I won't mix anyone up. I mean... what if Lyra gets me to do something, like kiss someone, I don't even like? Like Neji? How confusing would that be for the both of us?"

He was about to answer, when there was a loud knock on the front door to the apartment.

"Loor! _Imoto-chan! _ Rise and shine!"

Loor couldn't help breaking a smile, if not a rueful one. "Naruto..." She muttered to herself, rousing from where she sat to answer the door, leaving Lee in the bedroom. "Oi, _Nii-san, _ you wanna wake up the whole apartment building? Keep it down."

She opened the door to find Naruto grinning like always, slightly more energetic than usual. "I expected you to be sleeping!" He said in his defense, not dropping the smile. "Kakashi sensei wanted me to ask you if you were still training with us."

She smacked herself in the head. "Shit, I was supposed to talk to him last night but decided not to try looking for him after dark... if I had to go to his house it would have been really awkward."

"It's okay, I'll tell him." He said this before leaning forward, suddenly scrutinizing her. "Eh... Loor-chan, are you alright? You got bags under your eyes and stuff... did you sleep at all?"

Loor felt Naruto's happy energy losing it's effect on her, feeling shitty again. She let a sigh out, moving and motioning him inside. "Lee asked the same question."

"Lee-san? He's here?" Naruto asked as she came inside, taking his shoes off at the door and looking around. "Whoa, this place is a mess! Did you have a party last night?"

"If I had a party, you would have been invited." She pushed the door shut, walking back over to the bed room and trying to smile for Lee. "We have company."

Naruto busted past Loor, grinning at Lee. "Bushy brow! How's your injury?"

"It is well." Lee smiled. "I am having surgery soon. After I recover from that, I should be able to carry out missions again."

"I knew Granny Tsunade would come through!" Naruto was practically jumping for joy, which lightened up the mood a fair bit in the room. Loor felt herself smiling, though half of her mind was still dedicated to being depressed. She was part numb.

God she hated this shit.

"Loor-chan, do you think you'd ever become a Konoha shinobi?" Naruto asked, turning to her. "I bet if you trained with us long enough, and talked to Tsunade, you could work somethin' out! Maybe someday we could all do missions together!"

"Naruto, I still plan on going home. You know that." Loor shook her head at him, like one would a little kid who had suggested flying like superman.

"But that's not a sure thing!"

"The hell it ain't. Even Tsunade thinks it might be a better idea for me to go home than stay here... for Fury."

Lee looked confused. "Loor-chan, Naruto knows?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "I told him when we were coming home from our trip. Kinda had to."

Naruto turned his attention to Lee. "You knew too? When did she tell you?"

"She didn't." Lee looked embarrassed. "I heard her and her sister fighting about going home... her sister had told Kiba, and he explained it to me after I figured out that they were not from any normal place."

"Yeah... and it's for Fury sake that we gotta go home." Loor look dejected again.

"Eh, why?"

"Naruto, I've showed you this mark before, haven't I?" Loor questioned, lifting her head and pushing her hair out of the way to show the curse mark on her neck. "Orochimaru gave it to me, and gave one to Sasuke which looks just like mine. He taught Kabuto how to do it, and Kabuto did it to Fury. This mark has the ability to affect the marked person's will." she put her hair back down, sighing. "Sasuke and I are safe, since Orochimaru's arms are ruined. Fury on the other hand... isn't safe. Kabuto is still perfectly capable of messing with her."

"What's getting away from here gonna help?" Naruto questioned. "If the mark can mess with her, he could just make her come back."

"It does not do that much, I think." Lee ventured, looking at Loor. "She was affected before, was she not? When her personality changed? She came to hate you, but would still defend you in conversation. It is a minor condition... it could not make her run away."

"That's what we're guessing." Loor confirmed. "Kabuto would have to kidnap her if he wanted her... and I gotta tell you guys, someone is more likely to notice him where I'm from. Silver hair, purple outfit? The guy wouldn't only stick out in a crowd, he'd be the center of attention. She's safer where I am... at least till Orochimaru starts doing his homework... which I hope won't be very soon."

"What happens when he does go after you guys?" Naruto seemed worried. "I mean... c'mon, he took the time and energy to mark you guys, do ya think he's gonna let you walk away?"

"I..." Loor trailed off, sighing. "I don't know, okay? I just wanna keep her safe. Stay, go, I understand the choice is crucial. I just... I just gotta go back... Even for a moment, I have to see things again."

Loor suddenly seemed upset.

"I can't believe what happened to my family..." She muttered, more to herself, forgetting that the boys were in the room. "I mean... I never saw the wounds inflicted on them. Maybe... maybe they lived. I know it's stupid to hope for it... I know it's dumb to think Orochimaru failed to kill someone... but I just gotta know."

"... Loor..." Naruto frowned, shaking his head. "Don't torture yourself like that."

"I know..." Loor sighed. "No use hoping."

Lee stared at the two, mounting his crutch and getting up. "Yes... but there is nothing wrong with wanting closure."

"I should know better, shouldn't I? Do I honestly have to see their bodies to put my mind at rest?"

"I don't think you're gonna get over it like _that,_ " Naruto put an arm over her shoulders. "but it's a start."

Lee put his arm over Naruto's, both of them looking to comfort her. She looked left and right before finally surrendering a smile, hugging them both.

Friends were good for something.

* * *

"... Rishu?"

"Isaki and Ryoshi's son... though he's not by blood. They adopted him and later found out about his Kekkei Genkai... kept him anyway, though he has occasional temper tantrums that are made quite dangerous by his ability."

"Humph... he must be troubled by his parents' death... why did he want to see me?"

"He demanded the identity of the person responsible for the demise of his parents. He decided that if he couldn't get it out of me he'd try and get it out of you, Lord Orochimaru."

"Interesting... children are always so foolish."

"Sir...?"

"I believe we can make Rishu's new need for revenge work to our advantage... Kabuto, make sure he gets a new sensei, someone who specializes in stealth work... and I'll grant his wish to see me in due time."

"... Orochimaru-sama... may I ask what you're planning?"

"My arms will be healed soon, Kabuto. When they are... I want all _three _ of them ready for training. Sasuke will come easily, and I believe the younger sister will be just as easy to advance, but getting the elder sister to further her curse or elope quietly was going to be the challenge. She's so... _spirited._ Rishu is a child though, with her same plight. Perhaps it will satisfy him to see her go through the partial death involved in awakening the second level of her curse. He himself knows how much it hurts."

"O-Orochimaru-sama...! I thought we were going to lure her by capturing Fury?"

"Not good enough. She'd come in with a rescue plan, I'm sure. Knowing her way of persuasion she'd bring the whole ABUN black ops with her. She's tricky... so we have to be smarter than using bait."

"..."

"Do you have a problem with using children, Kabuto?"

"N-n-no sir."

* * *

Why do I love making new enemies for Loor?

XP Oh well, happy reading. I gotta go help mom now.

**No ownage.**

See ya next time punks!


	59. Hokage Hat

**Markings- Middle Ground  
** **Chapter Fifty Nine- Hokage Hat**

"Whoa... no offense Loor, but I think you're insane."

Loor sighed, shaking her head. She had just told Naruto about what Lyra had done the night before. Lee had gone back to the hospital, and Naruto had talked Loor into leaving the apartment long enough to see Kakashi and talk to him herself.

"None taken. I agree with ya. I'm beginning to understand why Gaara was a homicidal maniac from age six to twelve. If he had to deal with shit like _this..._ man, now that I think about it, Shukaku is a fully fledged demon, he's gotta be like a hundred times worse." She closed her tired blue eyes. "Man... how does he deal with that?"

"I dunno." Naruto shrugged. "I'm glad the fox is sealed away so I don't have to deal with him. I mean... can you imagine me all crazy like Gaara?"

She looked at him, trying to imagine the look of a killer maniac on him. After several seconds she started laughing. "Naw, you kinda fail."

He snickered, smirking. "Yeah, so do you. I mean, when you're really mad you're scary... but anyone who sees you on a normal day could never imagine being scared of you. You're too..."

"Too what?" She questioned, slightly offended. She prided herself on being scary.

"Too cute. I mean, like little fuzzy kitten cute."

She stared at him, raising her trademark eyebrow.

He shrank away, lifting his arms to defend himself from a possible punch. "Ack! You asked!"

She blinked at him a few times before poking him in the side. "_Ich am die Katze nicht." _

He moved his arms from defending his face to defending his stomach. "Eh? What did you say?"

"I am not the cat." She chuckled, her mood becoming a tad more positive. "No one speaks German around here, eh?"

"Not that I know of." He shrugged.

"Oh well... so what else are you up to today? I don't think I wanna deal with anyone else just yet after what went down last night..."

"Eh? What makes me so special?"

"You'll understand if I suddenly get possessed by a creature living in my head. Most other people wouldn't believe me if I tried to sell them that line."

"Oooh! Well, Granny Tsunade is getting announced today. The village elders come and present her to the village and stuff... she's supposed to make a speech too, but that's not why I wanna go."

"Then why do ya wanna go?" She found herself cocking her eyebrow again.

"Cause, Tsunade said she might throw the Hokage hat off of the platform for kicks! If anyone is gonna catch it, it's gonna be me!"

"Nice man... you better be ready for some competition, cause if she throws it I'm gonna get it first!"

"How are you gonna get it? I jump higher!"

"Not if I kick you outta the way!"

"Glad to see that you two are still as loud as ever."

The two blonds looked up to see that they had reached their destination, as Kakashi had just commented dryly on their bickering. A quick glance around showed that they had made it to the training field, and Kakashi was standing around like always with his book. Sasuke was off by himself in the background, and Sakura was nowhere to be seen.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto seemed overjoyed. "Guess what! Loor and Fury are gonna start training with us again!"

"Really?" Kakashi lifted the hand that wasn't holding his book to clean out his ear with his pinky, as if his ears were ringing from how loud Naruto was being. "Rumor had it that you two were going home soon."

"Not for another month." Loor replied, doing her best to smile. She felt vulnerable... but she had to stop worrying about Lyra! If Lyra decided to do something there was nothing she could do about it. "Fury and I will make our decision then."

"A lot can happen in a month." Kakashi mentioned, looking between the two blonds before him. "But if that's what you decided, so be it. We had training early today, so we're already done, but it's an afternoon session tomorrow. Naruto will come and get you... and I think I can have Sasuke retrieve Fury."

Naruto smirked, putting his hands behind his head and grinning. "Ha! I feel sorry for her. As far as I know, Sasuke's a real ray of sunshine in the morning!"

Sasuke turned to shoot Naruto a poisonous look when the loud boy started laughing.

After a few seconds, the dark haired boy muttered, "Loser."

"Hey!" Naruto yelped.

"Where's Sakura?" Loor questioned before the two started getting aggravated at each other.

"Hm...?" Naruto was distracted at once. "Hey, you're right... where is she?"

Sasuke shrugged. "What do I care? She went into the woods, hasn't come back."

Loor snorted, Sasuke's indifference irritating her. Sure, he didn't like the girl, but she was his team mate. He could care a little bit.

The dark haired boy turned his dark gaze upon her. "Got something to say?"

"No." She gave testily. "Do you?"

"No."

The two suddenly mirrored the posture of crossing their arms over their chest and looking away from each other.

Naruto glanced between them, throughly puzzled. "...huh?"

Kakashi, who had been standing idle the whole time, flipped the page in his book. "I wouldn't try to understand it, Naruto. You might hurt yourself thinking."

Naruto blinked twice before the jab made it through to his brain. Once it did, he turned to his sensei, growling. "Are you callin' me an idiot??"

Kakashi didn't even shrug. He just kept reading whilst saying, "I said nothing of the sort."

"... if you say so..." Naruto glared at his silver haired teacher before looking back to where Sasuke and Loor had been standing.

They were missing.

"Eh?!" He jumped. "Where did they go?? They were here two seconds ago!"

"Don't hurt yourself, Naruto-kun."

"Shuddup sensei!" He snapped, scanning the clearing several times before dropping his head. "They walked off into the woods, didn't they?"

"Very perceptive, Naruto. I might have to get you a gold star."

* * *

"You're following me."

"So?"

"Why?"

"Nothing better to do."

"Uh-huh..." Loor glanced back at the gothic boy that was tailing her. If he continued this behavior she was going to have to beat the piss out of him. "You realize that following people might annoy them, right?"

"I care?"

"Son of a..." She growled, looking forward.

_**Funny... he sounds like you.** _

_You stay the fuck out of this._

_**Don't worry, I won't try to get you interested in a boy you don't even find cute. That would be stupid.** _

_Good. Now shut up._

"You know I'm looking for Sakura, right?" Loor inquired.

"Yeah."

"I thought you didn't like her all that much. Least, that's what it looks like."

"I don't. She's annoying. I'm bored."

"You'd rather deal with an annoying person than be bored? Makes you sound like a masochist."

"She's only annoying cause she's pathetic." He paused. "If someone beat the stupid out of her, she might be half tolerable."

"Heh, we agree on something."

"She annoys you too?"

"Yeah."

"Why the hell you lookin' for her then?"

"I aim to beat the stupid out of her." Loor looked back, smirking. "Then I'll turn around and beat the stupid out of you."

"You think you can beat me?"

"I can hold my own with Neji, and that was a month and some ago." She grinned. "I could take ya."

"... I don't get you."

She chuckled, shrugging and stopping for a second, looking around as if the woods around her would tell her where Sakura was. "What's not to get? I'm a bitch who likes to help people by annoying them."

"You lost your family too, right?"

She felt a nerve twitch at the prod, but kept her smirk and happy sounding voice. "Yep."

"Watched them die?"

She turned slightly, moving forward again. "Yep."

"Want to kill someone over it?"

She glanced back at him. "Yep."

"Why the fuck are you so happy?"

She laughed slightly, shaking her head and shrugging. "I donno. Just me, I guess." She pushed a branch out of her way, waiting for Sasuke to pass her before letting it go. "Maybe I'm not really happy, I just let myself _feel_ happy while I'm angry, scared, worried, or any other negative mood. You never know, I could be stressing out under my little smile."

"If you're stressing, why even deal with people?" He asked, turning his head to look at her again...

To see blank space. He blinked, looking forward to suddenly have her in his face, and upside down, hanging from a branch.

"I donno. Why the hell are you dealing with me? I know I annoy you, but you're still here, talking to me."

"I told you." He glared, going around her. "Nothin' better to do."

She dropped down from where she was hanging, following him, smirking secretly. "Nope! You're dealing with me cause you're curious. You wonder why I hate you when every other girl you've ever met loves you, and why I seem so happy when I should be like you." She grinned as he looked back. "Right?"

He rolled his eyes, his walk becoming more of a stomp. "You're a loser, just like Naruto."

She smiled, chuckling. "Sure... so, Mr. Leader, are you sure we're going the right way?"

He suddenly stopped. She guessed he hadn't noticed he had been put in the front position.

She giggled in an almost evil manner, walking up beside him. "You _did_ wanna find Sakura, didn't you? That's why you noticed her leaving to go walk in the woods. Of course, you don't wanna look like you care because she's got a lot of annoying qualities and very few redeeming ones. I went in the direction I did cause it was the way you were looking. I guessed you'd been tracking her, maybe putting chakra to your ears to hear if someone else was out where you were looking."

He glared at her.

"You half followed me because you were curious, but it was an excuse to know that Sakura hadn't gotten herself into something sticky with all the wild animals out here and whatnot... am I right?"

Loor found herself blocking Sasuke's fist a second later.

"Oh..." she clicked her tongue at him. "Temper, temper." She jumped away from him. "By the by..." She pointed in the direction they had been going. "She's just a bit further that way. If you _do_ put chakra to your ears you can hear her humming."

"What do I care?" He was almost snapping. "What do I care? She's _annoying. _ Like _you." _

Loor turned from him, walking back the way they'd come. She said nothing, smiling still.

He glared after her, standing still till she'd faded into the foliage.

A few moments later he glanced in the direction Loor had pointed. He stared for several seconds before snorting and picking an new direction completely at random.

_Stupid, annoying, girls._

* * *

The Hokage's announcement was a lot like a new president being sworn in, only Tsunade didn't have to put her hand on a bible. Loor assumed it was because Konoha's predominate religion was probably Shintoism, and she highly doubted they'd have Tsunade swear on a scroll of Amaterasu.

All and all it was pretty boring, and pretty short. Tsunade and a whole bunch of old people set up on the roof of the Hokage building, standing where people could see them, and all the people in the village amassed around the Hokage building to watch. Everything that was said was bellowed so those below would hear, even the people in the back.

Thankfully, Tsunade had a powerful voice.

Of course, the lady had a speech, but Loor wasn't listening. She was never one for speeches cause they were always full of pretty words that her brain just couldn't process when they were spoken. It looked good on paper, but once a person said it you had to repeat it in your head five times to understand what they were saying. Loor was far too ADHD to repeat stuff in her head THAT much.

Plus, she was weaving through the crowd to find Naruto. She had to find the kid so she could make good on kicking his shins in!

Finding Naruto actually didn't take that long. How hard was it to find a kid wearing blaze orange? When she found him, standing as close to the Hokage building as he could while still being able to see Tsunade, she pounced him.

"_Nii-san!" _ She gave, giggling as he pushed her off, grousing and giving her a quick punch to the shoulder.

"_Imoto-chan, _ don't! She's gonna toss that hat any second now..."

"She's gonna what?" Someone else asked.

The blonds looked back to see Kiba and Fury standing near them. Kiba was the one who had asked.

Loor took the liberties. "Tsunade might throw the Hokage hat at the end of the speech. We aim to try and catch it!"

Kiba grinned, Akamaru barking at his feet. "Sweet. The person who catches it is the next Hokage!" He joked.

"Dude," Naruto laughed, bouncing in place. "You're on!"

Fury, behind everyone, holding her dog Schizo, petted the puppy while sighing. "_Boys..." _

Kiba raised an eyebrow at her, turning slightly. "What about Loor?"

Fury giggled, smiling. "She counts."

A cheer suddenly went up from the rest of the crowd. Loor, Fury, Naruto, and Kiba all looked upwards just in time to see Tsunade, taking the Hokage hat off of her head and throwing it aside, off of the building.

Fury watched at the three in front of her squabbled, trying to figure where it would land, pushing each other over, punching, kicking, _biting_ in all three cases, four if you counted Akamaru, and attempting to climb atop each other. She rolled her eyes and smiled lightly till Schizo started barking.

Fury looked up. The hat had been drifting their way, a stroke of luck, but a sudden breeze drove it backwards.

Fury looked at Schizo for a moment, and then back at the hat, which was floating a few feet up.

Fury tossed the dog straight up, just in time for Schizo to chomp it, falling safely into her owner's arms.

Three people slowly turned their gaze upon Fury, silence from them.

Fury giggled, taking the hat from her dog and putting it on her head. "Heh... does this mean I win?"

Loor, Kiba, and Naruto stared for several seconds before Kiba shouted, "Get her!"

Lucky for Fury, she was good at disappearing in a crowd. Even with a funny hat.

* * *

I'm **SO ** sorry people. I know, I know, this update is really late, even by my unstable updating schedule. You see, things have gotten very confusing in Loor land... plus I'm having surgery next month, and they're doing all the before operation stuff now. I've been between the doctors, school, my family, and the ever present boyfriend. Don't worry, I've been writing, but finding the time alone to update is near impossible.

I'll try though. I will.

**I don't own it. If I did, I'd have a real editor who would have killed me by now for not updating. XP **

Oh yeah, extra note here. Amaterasu is the Shinto religion's cheif goddess, and the goddess of the sun.

See you next time,

Loor


	60. Sucking Saki

**Markings- Middle Ground  
****Chapter Sixty- Sucking Saki**

Loor was almost afraid to go out that night.

It had been several hours since Tsunade's announcement, and trying to chase Fury down for the Hokage hat. She'd given the slip to Loor and Naruto, but Kiba's super nose had tracked her down, and he stole the hat from her, and then returned to gloat about his victory. Naruto got steamed, but Loor had stolen the thing whilst Kiba wasn't looking. She then pointed out that whoever kept it had to take it back to Tsunade, and the lady's moods were questionable at best when she was busy.

The boys had no problem with letting Loor keep it after that.

Loor hadn't gone straight out to return it. She had actually retreated to Lee's apartment and taken the time to clean it up after the mess she made while fighting Lyra. The beast couldn't affect anything physically but Loor, so the whole mess had been Loor's fault... even if her brain told her it was Lyra throwing her around.

By the time the mess was done with, the sun was setting. Loor became fearful at that particular instance.

Lyra was a creature of night. It was the way she was made, to the point that her eyes couldn't stand full sunlight. At first Loor thought it was silly that the demon's activity could be dictated by the time of day, seeing as the creature lived in her mind, but the more she thought about it the more sense it made. Lyra had been quiet all day, hadn't made a single move, or said a single word.

If that were true, it meant Loor had a safe area, but it also meant she had a danger zone.

And sadly that danger zone was her favorite time to be active.

Still, she couldn't hide like a scared kitten with her tail between her legs. She had to return Tsunade's hat, which she'd left on the table for the time being.

"Stupid hats..." Loor muttered, picking the thing up and turning to go outside, shrugging her coat high on her shoulders. The dusk air was warm, and soft. It calmed her senses, but she just couldn't relax completely with the new thought on her mind.

Her pace was brisk. She aimed to get to Tsunade, return the hat, and run out to the woods as soon as possible. If she was going to have to deal with Lyra, she'd deal with the beast where she would be alone. No boys. No one at all.

The thought of what Lyra did the other night, with Neji around, nearly made Loor want to gouge out her eyes.

The sun had set by the time she'd made it to the Hokage building. The place was lit up from the inside, the second floor opening illuminated quite well, which was good, since it was where Loor was going.

She took the stairs two at a time.

Was she nervous? No, no, what would make you think that?

She was to the top in no time flat, calming down only when she had entered the building and bathed in the bright yellow light coming from the bulbs lining the walls.

_Pathetic..._ she thought at herself, taking a deep breath and looking about. There was still traffic in the halls, but less than the day before. She waited for a few moments, till someone passed her, and got their attention.

"Excuse me," she said, knowing that being polite around here was the only way she'd get anything but a boot. "Where is Tsunade-sama?"

The guy she had stopped, a jonin with a load of books, blinked at her. "Last I heard, she was out with Shizune-san while we move things in and out of the office."

"Out where?" Loor gave. "I need to talk to her."

He shrugged. "Try the local bars. I heard the Lady Fifth has a thing for a hot one now and then."

With that he moved on.

Loor blinked several times. _...hot one?_

_Bars? _

She sighed, shaking her head. She knew Tsunade liked her drink, but she was Hokage now. The lady couldn't go off and party, she was supposed to be busy.

On the other hand, Tsunade probably didn't want all of her deceased sensei's old stuff. Whatever a hot one was, Tsunade was probably just trying to take a load off after a stressful day while avoiding the reminder that someone very important to her was dead. Not only that, she was taking his place.

Loor would have wanted a hot one too, and she didn't even know what it was.

Sighing she turned, walking back down the stairs. Gone was the tension over Lyra, feeling sorry for Tsunade. The lady was so old, despite her desperation to look young, and Loor couldn't even begin to imagine what the she'd been through as not to even blink at Sarutobi's death when she heard of it. Loor had been there, when they told her about it, and the lady didn't even look surprised.

Not even disturbed. Not one bit.

Did being a ninja do that to you? Did you gain an affinity to death?

Or... was she hiding?

Loor was confusing herself. Tsunade seemed on top of her game last she checked, but a person couldn't just shrug off the death of someone, a teacher, without a care... could they?

She came to the bottom of the stairs.

She was getting to know why Sasuke was so curious about her behavior. It was like three different levels of the same thing. Sasuke lost his family, and reacted by shutting down. Subconsciously he still wanted attention, thus his attention getting style of overachieving and showing off his skills. He got attention, but he tried to make himself think he didn't want any of it, expressing himself with his constantly aloof attitude. Loor, on the next step, was dealing with the loss of loved ones by ignoring it, putting it far away in her mind and just living life. She still rose to anger when it was mentioned... but she didn't have to change her personality.

Tsuande... God only knowing what she'd been through besides loosing her boyfriend and her little brother to war, somehow managed to be on top of everything, or at least seem that way. How she did this, Loor was yet to understand.

She wanted to understand though. She was curious, beyond all reason. She wanted to know how it was done so she could adopt the method herself, and live without her pain stinging her when people talked about her lost loved ones, or when her mind turned to the subject in the middle of the night.

And Sasuke wanted to understand Loor, and how she coped, to adopt it in the same way, as not to feel the constant pain he choose to feel by obsessing over his loss.

"Well, well, lucky stars. My hat."

Loor, who had been on the walkway leading away from the Hokage building, glanced up in shock. In front of her, heading towards the Hokage building, was Tsunade with Shizune. Shizune looked sober, but Tsuande was obviously buzzed.

"Granny Tsunade!" Loor greeted, smiling lightly and running up. She was quick to hand the hat over, though Shizune grabbed it before Tsunade could lay hands on it. "Enjoy your hot one?"

Shizune rolled her eyes. "That one and a few extra."

Tsunade grinned at Shizune. "Hey, I'm just getting to know the people! What's wrong with gettin' a little drunk with 'em too?"

"Keeping me up too late, that's what." Shizune snorted, frowning in what seemed to disappointment at her charge. "We get the day off today, but tomorrow you and I are going to have all sorts of work to do. _Some _sleep is in order."

"The sun _just_ went down!" Tsunade pointed at the still pink horizon. "C'mon Shizune, I don't need a baby sitter!"

"Yes, you do. I let you loose, gods know where I'll find you tomorrow morning."

"Just a few more hours, it can't hurt."

"No." Shizune tugged on the new Hokage. "Bed."

Loor glanced between the two for several seconds before raising her hand. "Eh... if you need someone to watch her, I will."

Tsuande, flushed and clumsy, clapped a heavy hand on Loor's shoulder. "Shorty! I knew I could count on you."

Loor blinked twice.

_Shorty? _

_**Well... you are kinda 'fun sized.' **_

_Shuddup! _

Shizune looked concerned. "You sure you wanna make yourself responsible for this woman, Loor? She can get crazy when you let her loose."

"She can't be any less sane than I am." Loor smiled at Shizune. "I can handle her."

There was a tense second before Shizune sighed, nodding. "Bring her back before midnight, please?"

"I'll try." Loor assured before turning to Tsunade. "Lead the way, Lady Hokage."

Tsunade, in her heavily buzzed mood, started leading Loor by the shoulder, laughing. "Kid, you're alright, y'know that?"

Loor felt relatively safe walking with the lady Hokage. Even buzzed, Tsunade was likely to stop her if she started doing something stupid on Lyra's influence...

At least, Loor hoped that was true. She didn't know what kind of drunk Tsunade was, having only dealt with her once while she was intoxicated. From what Loor could see at the moment, she was a party girl while she was buzzed... but if they were going back to the bar the new Hokage was sure to suck a few more down.

Loor tried to stop worrying and quiet her mind. It wasn't long before she and Tsunade arrived at the bar, which was a building with a sliding door to enter. Tsunade barged ahead, getting a cheer as she went inside. Loor was almost reluctant to cross the threshold, shutting the door behind herself as she came into the cramped space.

_This_ made Loor think of a bar at home.

It was smoky, several people with pipes and cigarettes sitting at various booths with thin and high dividers, sipping from shot glasses or thin necked bottles. The whole area was crammed together, with an actual bar at one end of the room.

The guy behind the bar grinned at Tsunade as if they'd known each other since childhood.

"Tsunade, I thought the nurse maid was makin' you push off for the night?"

"Got my curfew extended thanks to shorty here." Tsunade grabbed Loor by the hood on her coat, dragging her up to the bar as the elder took a stool.

Loor coughed, pulling the front of the coat back down before she choked. Tsunade damn near lifted her into the air with that move. Several of the shadowy people in the bar laughed as Loor helped herself to a stool next to Tsunade, for fear of having her hood used as a leash.

Despite the smoke, the atmosphere was warm. Everyone was here to have a good time.

"Oh really?" The tender leaned down in Loor's face. His breath had tobacco on it, and his teeth had the dark evidence of chewing. "And is Shorty here old enough for a drink as a reward?"

Loor's height had just become a nickname.

Tsunade sighed, shaking her head. "Sadly, she's off by a few years."

"Aw, too bad." The tender leaned back up, out of Loor's face. "But rules are rules."

"Hey!" A random person spoke up. "I ain't gonna tell no one if ya serve a kid!"

Tsunade stood up, her brown eyes knifing into the corner the voice had come from. "You don't have to tell no one if Lady Hokage herself is here, now do ya?" She snapped, looking like an angry cat for a moment. The whole bar had silenced, staring at where the blond leader stood.

"On the other hand..." Tsunade smirked. "If you were to go by her mental age, Shorty here is more than old enough to have a round or two, and I _make_ the rules." She chuckled, sitting back down as the noise in the bar started back up. "That is, only if Shorty wants to try it."

Loor was staring at Tsunade. This place _had_ a drinking age? She had heard Naruto say something about it, but she had assumed it was some sort of shinobi mandate thing. For some reason, this place hadn't seemed... well, modern enough to have a drinking age.

But she was being offered a free round.

She nodded. "Sure, your best recommendation."

People hooted at Loor for accepting something that was technically illegal. She heard things like "Oh-ho-oh! Bad Shorty!" and "Look who Tsunade adopted" coming from the dark corners of the crowded space.

"A hot one, for my friend here." Tsunade gave, smiling at the tender, who seemed to have little issue with the situation at the moment. "And make it big. She's had a brush with my old team mate."

"Jiraiya-sama?" Someone questioned.

"No, the evil one!" Tsunade chuckled, sipping at something she had ordered while Loor hadn't been looking.

Two seconds later, Loor was presented with a steaming bottle of saki. It stank like licorice but looked like water in the bottle. After she examined it and touched the bottle to find it was rather hot, Tsunade laughed.

"Easy, Shorty, it ain't gonna bite ya."

Loor took a moment to glare at Tsunade before grabbing the bottle and making to chug it.

Bad idea.

Saki, like most wine, burnt on the way down. On top of that was the drink's actual temperature; not scalding, but close.

Once her brain had figured those two factors out, she tasted it.

It had no taste at first, just the burn, but after Loor swallowed and Tsunade forced her to lower the bottle, laughing, she had to cough thanks to the strange taste in her mouth. It was like the aftertaste of wine, which was bitter and dry, plus the faint taste of black licorice.

She _hated_ black licorice.

"Jeez, Loor, we didn't know life sucked that bad!"

Tsuande was laughing her ass off, along with the tender and several people in the bar. She blinked, glancing around till the tender leaned on the bar, to get in Loor's face and talk to her again.

"Ya see, kid," the tender chuckled, "they make it hot so you sip, don't chug. You chug it, you'll be tossing it up on the floor before you can breathe. If ya chug it, you'll get drunk faster too." He glanced at Tsunade. "The kid eaten anything today?"

"Yeah, I have." Loor growled, answering for herself. "... I think."

"Empty stomach is a queasy one." The tender smirked, walking away from the bar.

Loor sighed, looking at Tsunade, who was sipping her own 'hot one.' Now that the lady had settled into a seat, she didn't seem like a party girl. Sure, she lit up when she was making fun of people, but she wasn't dancing on tables.

No, she was subdued. Staring off into space, her lips hanging on the rim of her bottle.

"Tsunade... why did you want to stay out?"

The elder looked over before smirking a little. "Won't be able to again for a long time. Tomorrow... everything starts. People will be expecting things of me. I don't think I'll have time to go out like this, so I had to go. I just had to go out once and calm down."

Loor knew that feeling.

She got the calm when she went into the woods. When she left on the trip with Naruto, she'd wanted the calm of the forest so badly, and it was one of the first places she went when they got back.

Tsunade's bottle was Loor's forest.

Different people. Different elements.

"The saki helps?" Loor asked.

"Me." She answered, making Loor more solid in her own thinking. "I doubt it would help a kid like you. Way back when... sure, I partied. I'd drink, get stupid drunk, sing and dance... but I'm too old for that now. As I got older, I'd get drunk enough to be dazed. Didn't wanna be stupid anymore. Now, I drink enough to get and remain calm, and watch others." She looked out to a couple guys arguing at a table, playing cards. "Watching other people... it's interesting, and makes me happy."

"Huh..." Loor put her own bottle to her lips, simply because it was there in her hand. "Well, as Hokage you'll get to do plenty of that. I don't know if they'll let you do it sauced, but it's all about watching out for people, ain't it?" The bottle was at her lips again.

Loor didn't know how to be slow at anything, nor did she knew the definition of sipping.

"Yeah, but that's different than the bar scene. In a bar, if a fight breaks out..." She pointed her head to a scuffle happening in the back corner. "You just watch. Its all part of the entertainment. As Hokage... I make myself responsible for every fight. When a disturbance happens, not only should I get involved, I _have_ to get involved. Scary, eh?"

"Little bit."

Loor found that she was suddenly done with her strange tasting drink.

"Oops..." She muttered.

Tsunade glanced over, snickering. "Your liver is going to be sitting on your pillow tomorrow morning, smoking a ciggy and talking about how much you suck."

Loor cocked her eyebrow. "Does that mean I can have another one?"

"If you want it."

"Make it cold this time."

"Gross."

"That's what I think about the hot stuff."

* * *

"She went _where?_"

"I told you, she decided to accompany Tsunade-sama while she enjoyed one last night irresponsibly. She already returned the hat, if that's what you wanted to know about."

Neji was irked. Royally. Lee had come to him before, requesting that he go looking for Loor, as if there was something seriously wrong about the girl being alone at night all of the sudden. So Neji went, first asking Fury about the annoying blond, who pointed him to the Hokage building, who was now pointing him to a _bar. _Yes, the new Lady Hokage was spending her first night instated at a _bar._

Neji got the feeling that he wasn't going to like the new leader.

"Honestly," Shizune, who had given him information on Loor's whereabouts, yawned. "They should be back soon... but knowing Tsunade she won't wanna come back, and Loor can't overpower her. If you wouldn't mind... could you drag them back? I'd pay you for the errand, but I don't have my wallet on me..." She leaned back from the door she'd been hanging out of, her personal quarters in the Hokage building. "I can go find it..."

"Not necessary. I was looking for Loor as a favor to my team mate."

"Lee, right? Don't worry, we'll have him on his feet again soon, and you won't have to do stuff because the hospital has a curfew." Shizune sighed. "Still, thank you so much..."

"Sleep well." Neji gave, saying the courteous thing in the most monotoned way he possibly could.

Shizune sank away from the door as he turned, walking quickly. He wanted this little job to be over with. The only reason he'd agreed to doing this was the fact that he was still waiting for her to demand a rematch. Fury had said something about _making _him fight Loor again, which made him all the more eager to reject Loor the second she requested such a thing.

Now, she wouldn't even ask the damned question. He'd seen her once, and she'd been so distracted.

But she'd acted as if _he_ had been distracting her. The night before, she'd handed him such strange looks, and hardly any words, as if she was afraid of tripping over words and exposing herself to a verbal maiming.

Almost like a girl with a crush.

He shook his head. That was a silly, not to mention stupid, thought. As far as he'd seen her, she was incapable of caring for another human aside from Lee, much less getting romantically involved. She had all the charm of a demon, and the fangs of one too.

He sighed to himself, getting into the main of the village and opening the door to the first pub he passed, sticking his head inside long enough to scan those inside.

Lucky, lucky, he found them on the first shot. The two blonds were seated at the bar, and attention seemed to be focused on Loor, who was rather animated in recounting a story of some type that made those around her laugh.

Her speech, what could be understood, marked her as being very drunk.

"Tsunade-sama! Loor-san!"

The addressed spun in their stools at their names being called.

"Awe, the nurse maid sent some back-up." Tsunade chuckled, mainly sober. She had maintained her usual level of intoxication, the one she operated with. Getting up, she tugged on Loor's hood. "Time to go, short stuff."

"Wha...?" Loor was bleary, her feet getting tangled as she got away from the bar. "With him...? Why is he here??"

The two got onto the street quickly, and Tsunade snapped the door shut. "Sorry for her... I had the guys treat her... hopefully the headache tomorrow will be killer enough she'll think twice about drinkin' next time."

Neji regarded Loor with a new tone of disgust before eying his Hokage. "You let her do this to herself?"

"Teach her a lesson. Did the same thing to _Jaaku_ once when we were kids. He made a complete fool of himself, and as far as I know, never drank again. Get a person down enough... cons beat pros. She's a smart girl, she'll figure it." Tsunade waved off. "I can get m'self home. She can't though. She was half dead at the bar."

"H-hey!" Loor was still unsteady on her feet, just standing still. "I... I'm fine..."

Tsunade started walking away, and Loor's eyes tracked over to Neji.

She stared at him for several seconds, as if something was behind him. Her eyes were focused upon something else, dazed, her jaw slightly open as if she were going to yelp.

He looked, confused, before reminding himself she _was_ inebriated.

When he looked back, she was smirking.

Was she finally going to ask for that rematch? A drunk outburst would be just as entertaining as a sober one.

She motioned her head in the direction of the shinobi complexes. "You're takin' me home, ain't ya? Get walkin'."

He glared at her, tempted to pout, before moving along.

He wouldn't be aware that Loor was staring at him the whole way in the way an infatuated girl would.

* * *

Can anyone imagine Neji pouting? I would so pay to see that. Anyway, I know it's been forever and a half since I updated, and I'm sorry about that. I haven't been getting reviews either, so I guess it's a give and take situation. Oh well.

The show must go on.

**I own nothing!**

Loor


	61. Breakfast

**Markings- Middle Ground  
****Chapter Sixty One- Breakfast**

When Loor woke up the next morning, everything was fuzzy. It was early, too early for the sun to be up, as she slid her hand around trying to find her shirt and her pants, having slept in her underwear. Her brain, still several paces behind her body, felt like a dull ache while she was still half asleep.

She slid her hands to the floor, keeping her eyes securely closed while her hands closed over the feeling of her green coat, pulling it up and around her shoulders.

Groaning, she got up off the pillow, clutching the coat around herself as the pain in her head came through full force, along with the dry feeling in her mouth. She wanted water, bad.

But what the hell did she _do_ last night? She hadn't a clue, her memory vanishing somewhere around the third round Tsunade had bought her, when she had started telling stories to the tender, and some of the people around the bar.

But... how had she gotten home? If she got drunk...

Loor forced her eyes open, just to make sure it was Lee's apartment she was sitting in and not some stranger's house.

It was dim in the room, dawn's first light starting to glow outside the window. It was just enough light for Loor to scan about, verifying that it was Lee's room. Only his apartment was so scarce, missing so much decoration.

She hemmed slightly, thinking she might have to get her hands on one of those giant scrolls of paper and paint something for his walls. Just so the room had _something. _

After that thought, she stretched, yawned, and quickly brought her hands down to clutch her head.

Oh fucking _ow. _

She felt like she'd been run over by a bus... or a garbage truck for how her breath smelled, which she had just caught a whiff of.

She tripped out of the blankets, not bothering with pants as she was ignoring most of her body below the belt. Her feet told her the floor was cold, but awareness in her legs and knees just wasn't there. Thus, her walking wasn't quite steady.

She subconsciously fanned her toes, hoping to gain more balance.

She was dreary, half walking and half floating to the door as she moved to open it. She really wished she could have remembered the night before, but since she couldn't she would have to do damage control on the apartment if she knocked anything over while coming home.

She cracked the door open and looked around while yawning again, wincing at her ever present, throbbing headache. Blinking, she scanned the main room slowly. It looked clean, same as when she had tidied it the day before. The table was clear, her shoes were by the door, nothing was tossed about. Slowly, she looked to just in front of the door she was hanging out of.

The day before, when Loor had been tidying, she had argued with herself on whether or not to leave the place where she usually slept, the blanket and pillow just outside Lee's door, where it was. She obviously wasn't using it anymore, but at the time she had told herself that she'd been sleeping there again when Lee got out of the hospital. She had left it, just so it was ready for her.

Well, it had been handy for someone else too.

Loor stared at something that didn't compute with her mind. She blinked, desperately trying to keep her footing by leaning on the door she was still holding the knob of.

On her blanket and pillow, sleeping where she used to sleep, was Neji.

Loor retreated into Lee's room.

"That's my spot..." she muttered to herself, feeling in her legs starting to come back as she paced the room. "That's _my_ spot, that's_ my_ pillow, that's _my_ blanket, and..." she trailed off. "...well, it's not my house, but still!" She grabbed her head, shaking it and suddenly stopping, looking into the full length mirror in Lee's room.

She stared at herself.

She looked so... haphazard. Her hair was tousled and frizzed, her face bore the dark bags of a bad night of sleep, and her coat looked like someone had spilled a drink or two on it. She sniffed, smelling the smoky bar on herself.

She looked at herself in dismay. "What... what did I do last night..?"

"I could answer that question."

Loor turned to see Lyra, sitting on the edge of Lee's bed with her legs crossed.

"You!" Loor crowed, staring. "You, what did you do??"

"What did _I _do?" Lyra looked offended. "You're the one who got drunk. I just... well, you'll see."

"What?" Loor hissed, glaring at Lyra. "What will I see? What did you do to Neji? Why is he here?"

"He walked you home." Lyra examined her claws, looking bored before smirking up at her host. "You make some very sexy enemies, Loor."

"But..." She glanced at the door and then at Lyra. "We... I... didn't... right?"

Lyra blinked at Loor, staring blankly at the girl for once before breaking out, cackling. "Oh, dear girl, never on a first date! I assured you before, I wouldn't make you do anything against your will. The second your memory was gone and most of your control... well, it's just not as fun to play with you when you're not arguing the whole way. But I'm afraid my time to explain is done, for now." She closed her eyes. "It's too close to morning for me to be up and about."

Loor looked beyond Lyra to the windows behind her. Dawn's first light was getting brighter by the second.

"Why?" Loor questioned. "You don't... you're not really here. You're just in my head." Loor tapped two fingers to her brow. "How can you be bound by night and day?"

Lyra stood from the bed, moving away from the pink light that intruded into the room and into a shadow, as if the light actually bothered her. "Not my fault. That's how you made me. Be it I'm real or not, I still have to follow the rules you created me with. I still hate light because of my eyes, I'll still do anything to get what I want as long as its fun... and I'll still protect you when you're in danger if its in my power, simply to keep myself alive."

Loor stared as Lyra came close, smirking. Close up, Loor could smell the creature again, the sweetness. Slowly, Lyra applied her silk soft hand to Loor's face.

Loor blinked.

"That... is how you made me."

Loor nearly fell over as the creature vanished. At first her brain had difficulty digesting it, locking up for a moment. The beast had seemed so real, for her to vanish was creepy and strange. It took her several moments before she could breathe again, finding the air without Lyra's smell.

Good riddance.

Now that the day was dawning and Loor's headache was going from a painful knife to a slightly duller ache, she decided it was a good idea to deal with the other thing her brain was jamming up on. Still not bothering with her pants, she turned to open the door into the main area again, pushing it wide instead of just cracking it open.

There was Neji, sleeping on her blanket.

She sighed, rested her shoulder against the door frame, leaned her head on her shoulder, and crossed her arms over her chest. Then, she put one foot against the open door. With a fair amount of force, she slammed the door all the way to the wall.

The slamming sound brought Neji out of sleep like an alarm. He was straight up in bed, facing her, looking ready for someone to throw something sharp at him.

He blinked at her for several seconds as she returned her foot to the floor, her body tilted away from the door frame. Her hips were thrown out to the side, legs half crossed as she stared him down.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She asked like she owned the place.

He was silent, getting up before speaking.

"I walked you home. You got drunk last night."

"With Lady Hokage." She didn't let the fact that he was taller than her bother her... much. "I think I can be forgiven."

"Forgiven?" He shook his head at her, as if she were very stupid. "I don't put any blame on _you_, but the fact that our new leader would allow a minor get intoxicated under her watch is a little disturbing."

"Under her watch?" She left her doorway, passing Neji and going to the fridge in the main room. In the time that Lee had been away she had, with Naruto's help, taken the time to stock the thing with some edibles. At the moment, she was just checking that the milk hadn't gone bad in the month she'd been away. "I was sent to watch her, make sure she went back to the Hokage building before midnight. She probably got me drunk so I'd forget her bedtime."

"And she's supposed to be our new leader?" He seemed skeptic. "I can not say I have a good opinion of her so far."

Inside the fridge, she sighed. The milk didn't smell quiet right, and she had hardly had any of it before she left. Talk about a waste. "I doubt she cares about her approval rating. Tsunade does a lot of things to get her own ends. Not to say she's not considerate of others, but once she's got something she wants to do, she's not too quick to let it go." Loor turned her attention to a carton of eggs on the top shelf. "Hey, any ideas on how to check if eggs have gone bad?"

"No." He said flatly, not interested in her quest for food. He didn't sit while he talked to her, even though there were two chairs at the table in the middle of the room. He just stood where he had slept, his arms crossed over his chest, looking irritated.

She hefted another sigh. "Guess I'll risk it." She said this while taking the eggs out of the fridge. Loor actually could cook a little bit, and thanked whatever power that be that these simple apartments were equipped with your basic cooking stuff, like a stove top. Though she had to borrow stuff like a frying pan from Naruto, the shinobi apartments seemed to have everything the average person could want. She had actually taken most of the cooking stuff Naruto owned, and wondered why he even had it, seeing as all he ate was Ramen.

There was silence as she busied herself getting the pan out, turning the stove on, and finding a smaller container and, instead of a fork, a set of chopsticks, aiming to attempt scrambled eggs. After trying to find a spatula for a while she failed, eventually settling with a large spoon.

"So..." She said, cracking three eggs into the small container she'd found. "Why did you spend the night?"

"You kept trying to leave. Lee told me to make sure you got home safely, but you wouldn't _stay_ home." He was sounding more irritated. "So I settled myself outside your door to keep you in."

"Oh. I see." She glanced back at him. "Uh... you going to eat?"

He blinked at her, and crossed his arms a little tighter, as if he were hugging himself. "As long as you don't poison it, I'll agree to a free meal."

"_Mir?" _She asked in German, sarcastically. "_Ich habe kein gift." _With that she added two more eggs to her container before putting the rest of the eggs away and using the chopsticks to scramble what she'd cracked into the container, turning and leaning on the counter. "You can sit, you know."

He blinked at her. "Last I checked, you hated me... and what the hell did you say?"

He smirked. "Sit, and I'll tell you. Last I checked, I was a good hostess who didn't have guests stand around all day."

He now looked incredibly irritated _and_ uncomfortable. She was being so... nice. She might have actually had a somewhat good personality under her usually rough appearance. It was like as long as she was in her home, she was different. The second she got outside, she was at war with the world, but it would seem the apartment was her safety bunker, where she calmed down and smiled.

Weird. And strange. And irritating.

Finally, he sat. He didn't uncross his arms, but he sat at the table.

Loor got a grin on her face like she's won some sort of game. "That's better. I said I have no poison."

"But you said 'gift'."

"Gift, in German, means poison. Fun little false cognate."

He turned his head slightly to the side that said he had no idea what she was talking about.

She finally stopped beating the eggs, turning to her now hot pan and pouring the goop in. It sizzled on contact, and she used the large spoon she'd pulled out to scrape it around, keeping things from burning. "Cognates are words that have the same sound and meaning between languages. A false cognate is a word that _sounds _like a word in another language, but means something completely different."

He was tempted to say 'do I care?' still completely skeptic of her mood. He suspected a trap, or something like that.

In a few moments she turned the burner off and moved the pan to one that hadn't been on, searching the cabinets and finding plates, serving equal portions and putting it on the table, handing him a set of chopsticks, setting her own set by her plate. She sat after she had relocated all of her cooking tools but the frying pan to the sink.

He blinked at what was on his plate.

She glanced at him, sitting down and trying to eat it with her chopsticks, though she had a passing thought that it might have been easier with a spoon. "It's scrambled eggs, dude. Not brains."

"I don't think I've had this before." He admitted, poking it with his chopsticks.

"Yeah, I noticed that you people don't eat a lot of simple stuff that I do... anyway." She gave him a very serious look all of the sudden. "What happened last night?"

"I told you." He had tested the eggs on his plate, finding that they didn't taste that terrible. "You got drunk, I walked you home."

"No, no, not that." She glared at him. "Did I act... well, strange on the way home?"

"You were quiet." He seemed to scowl at her. "You walked behind me, you didn't say much at all, and if you did say something you'd just trail off."

"You seem pissed." She smirked over her plate. "You rather when I'm babbling?"

"I rather when you're acting _normal, _something you haven't done since you've gotten home."

She, half way through her eggs, put her chopsticks aside. At those words, she had a sudden loss of care for food. "Normal? You mean bickering with you, picking fights with people, and so on? You've been expecting me to be my old angry self, eh?" She lost all her playfulness, returning his scowl with a glare. "How am I strange, buddy boy? And why does it irk you? Last I checked the score, you hated me too."

"When I found you in the woods, you were sheepish, scared. I've found and walked you home twice now, and both times you were near silent as if something was terrifying you. You wake up with me in your home, and you don't dwell on it for two seconds before welcoming me to the table. I'm not concerned..." He suddenly stood up, slamming his hands on the table top. "But what the hell is wrong with you?!"

She drew up to her feet, looking at him.

Her eyes sparked.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you. But I'll let you know right now, I do still hate you, and I still aim to kick your ass. In fact..." She grinned. "I do believe we are overdue for a rematch."

That was it. What he'd been waiting for since she'd come home. The fight he so sorely wanted to reject simply for her outburst, for entertainment.

He stared at her, and suddenly realized something.

He couldn't.

She hadn't asked, she had told him. She was resolved, which meant there would be no outburst. If he refused her the fight... she'd try and take him right where he stood... or wait till he was unsuspecting. She would attack him though, be it day or night, frontal or sneaky, she would fight him.

And with that look on her face, it looked as if she could win.

"Tonight." He offered.

"Same place as last time?" She asked, sitting back down, getting back to her food.

"Fine."

He slowly lowered to his place.

"Any rules?" She asked.

"Rules?" he questioned.

"So I can break them, of course." She looked up, sneering. "But I'll just assume no-holds-barred."

He nodded at her, looking down at his eggs.

He had accepted her match.

And she was going to lose.

* * *

"Rishu-kun...? Are you in here?"

"Hm? Kabuto-san! I tried to get in to talk to Orochimaru, but the guards at his compound just shrugged me off!"

"Of course, Rishu. No one gets in unless Orochimaru wants to see them. But... I have news for you."

"What?"

"Orochimaru-sama has a mission for you."

".... huh? For me? What is it?"

"I told him about your... need for vengeance over your parents. He found it just, but he wants the girl in question alive... he has assigned you a new sensei for the time being, for special stealth training. Soon enough, you will be sent after her."

"Wait, really? But... he wants her alive... I... I can't do that."

"There's more, Rishu."

"Hm?"

"The girl... she's been favored by Orochimaru, like you. But unlike you, she hasn't taken the mind drug yet. We will give you the supplies, but you must get into her confidence and then get her to take the pill somehow. And, of course, you must keep her alive during the process. As you know, taking that pill means suffering apparent death. Orochimaru was hoping that it would good enough for you to put her through that."

"Apparent death... I've been through it... yes. She'll suffer that much. So... I'll do this training, and then find her?"

"Yes. You start today. We will send you after her later, when we know she'll be staying still for a while. Complete this mission, I believe your parents will be properly honored."

"... Kabuto-san?"

"Hm?"

"What is her name?"

"... Loor."

* * *

Oh ho ho ho... I do love Rishu-kun. Even if he was adopted. XP

Puffin' along...

**No ownage.**

Loor


	62. Pathetic

**Markings- Middle Ground  
****Chapter Sixty Two- Pathetic**

"You did what now?"

"I got Neji to agree to a rematch with me."

It was past noon, and Naruto had come to get Loor so they could go to training. It would be their first session with Kakashi since before the chunnin exams. Of course, Loor had to tell her victory story about getting her rematch with Neji, though Naruto was still getting over the shock that Loor had made breakfast for him.

"How the hell did you do that?" Naruto questioned. "I mean... I thought you said he wasn't gonna fight you again till you were a Genin and all that. Did you talk him down, or just throw a punch right there?"

She shrugged, smirking. "I just told him."

"...told him?" He blinked at her. "Waddya mean you told him? You just said 'hey, we're fighting tonight' and he agreed?"

"Pretty much." She shrugged. "I think Neji wanted an argument, for his own entertainment. When I came straight out like that, I didn't leave room for an argument, so he just agreed." She then put a finger to her chin, as if in thought. "He was also off balance at the time, so I might've taken him by surprise."

"Huh?" Naruto was aware of Loor's antics, that she could work just about anyone into dancing her tune, but catching Neji by surprise was like making Lee give up on something. It just didn't happen.

"Well, we were in my home, right? I mean, it's Lee's apartment, but for now its my place. I don't know why, but everyone acts different at home. You relax cause it's your turf, right?"

"Right, right." He nodded. "But wouldn't Neji take advantage of you then?"

"Not really. He's used to me being angry and snappy towards him, so when I came out with the welcome wagon, plus breakfast, I think it made him think I had either lost my marbles or was playing an angle of some sort. Either way, he thought I was being weird. When he busted out and asked what was wrong with me, I slipped him my challenge."

"Loor, are you getting yourself into trouble again?"

Loor and Naruto looked up to see that they had arrived at the training grounds. It was Sakura who had addressed Loor, standing at the entrance of the area and waiting for the two. Sasuke wasn't present, nor was Kakashi.

Loor was surprised Sakura had remembered her, because the two hardly knew each other. Still, the pink haired girl had been around Loor long enough to know she had a habit in getting in sticky situations. Sakura had been there when she had first met Gaara, which had not only been sticky but life threatening.

"Trouble?" Loor smirked. "No, I just have a hot date with a side of violence tonight."

Naruto snickered. "If Neji heard you say that, he'd be so pissed."

"Neji?" Sakura questioned, her jade eyes widening in surprise. "Naruto, you can't be letting her do this, right? I mean, you remember what Neji did to you during the chunnin finals, don't you?"

"I ain't gonna stop her." He shrugged. "Once Loor says she's gonna do something, no one is gonna change her mind, believe it!"

Sakura seemed irritated by Naruto's catch phrase.

"Not to say I haven't gone against him before, Sakura." Loor added. "I know he's a force to be reckoned with... but this is all about proving to him that I am too."

"But your not even a genin." Sakura reasoned. "You're no match for someone who made it to the chunnin finals."

"What's rank got to do with it?" Loor's voice took on a steel tone of annoyance. "The day I met that kid, he wrote me off as a joke. That didn't bother me though, a lot of people do. Still, he found out something about me and started _acting,_ and I don't take that shit. We fought then, and I got as close to killing him as he did to killing me." She got into Sakura's face, a sick grin in place. "You should come watch, just to see for yourself. Rank has nothing to do with it. This is about evening a score."

Sakura looked frightened of Loor for a split second, backing off a step. "Uh... no... that's fine... S-sorry..."

Naruto went to Sakura and patted her on the back. "Don't worry about it, Sakura-chan. Loor's very... passionate about some things. I plan on watching though, and I'll tell you about how it goes!"

Loor blinked at Naruto, and shook her head. "On second thought... an audience isn't wanted."

He looked up at her, along with Sakura. "Eh?" He asked. "But what if things get ugly, and one of you needs to get to the hospital?"

She gave them a very serious look. "I expect things to get ugly... but it's also personal. I gotta give it my all... don't need anyone getting caught in the crossfire, you know?"

"What's personal?"

The three that were already present turned to see Sasuke, walking up with Fury in tow. She had Schizo with her, riding on her head. It was Fury who had spoken.

"Loor, you're not getting into trouble again, are you?" Asked Fury.

"That's what I said!" Sakura gave.

"Yeah." Loor said flatly as Fury stood by her and Sasuke went to go lean against a tree. "But Fury knows she's the only person in the world who has a chance at stopping me once I've made up my mind."

Fury nodded, looking to her sister. "So, what's going on now?"

"I've got a spar with Neji tonight."

Fury blinked. "Come again? Last I checked, he wasn't going to fight you again. Ever. At least that's what he made it sound like." She took her dog off of her head, putting Schizo down in the grass. "Got all irritated about it too, but I told him that if he turned you down, I'd get him to fight you."

"Really?" Loor raised an eyebrow. "How would you have gone about that?"

"I donno... but I had to make him think I could."

Loor smirked, patting Fury on the back. "Good girl." Shortly after that the smirk sank from her face. "Okay, damn it, where is that guy? Why the heck is he always late?"

"Kakashi seems to always have some kind of excuse..." Sakura muttered, shaking her head. "And since none of us are on his level, we can't really discipline him about it."

Loor rolled her eyes. "You could try, at the least."

"Try what?"

Everyone looked up to see that Kakashi had suddenly appeared behind Loor. The girl whipped around, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him. "Are you always late?!" She snapped.

"Most people get used to it." He said with a slight shrug, dismissing her.

"What are we doing today?" Naruto questioned, nearly jumping up and down. "Can we do combat training? Please? All we did yesterday was agility exercises and it was no fun at all!"

"Calm down, Naruto." Kakashi advised. "You have to remember that we have the undergraduates with us today. Sakura," He looked at the pink haired wonder. "You're taking Loor to do some agility training. Last I heard from Gai, the girl still fights like a bear."

"Hey, I move plenty fa--"

Kakashi cut Loor off, ignoring her. "Sasuke, you'll be doing strength training with Fury."

Sasuke took this without reaction, stoic as usual. Fury cringed.

"What about me??" Naruto demanded.

"You?" Kakashi seemed to smirk. "You'll be doing battle practice."

"With who??" Naruto seemed confused. "Everyone else is already doing something."

"Who else?" Kakashi sounded sinister. "Me."

It was as if someone told him Christmas was coming early. "Oh YES!" He was pumping his fist in the air. "You are _so_ going down this time, sensei! I still gotta pay you back for when you humiliated me during the bell exercise! Believe it!"

Loor had to applaud Naruto's enthusiasm, he was a hyper little kid for being partially demonic.

"Sensei," Sakura spoke up. "I don't understand something."

"Hm?" He looked away from Naruto, who was still doing his victory dance. "What's that?"

"We train with you to become better shinobi, but right now we're trying to bring two others up to speed... which is going to slow us down. Why aren't you taking Loor and Fury on and having us train like we usually do?"

"Good question." Kakashi took a matter-of-fact tone. "In teaching someone else what you know, you strengthen your own fundamentals. It isn't slowing down, it's cementing. I consider this training just as vital as everything else, the ability to teach. Depending on how much our students learn, I'll judge you. Of course, I'll be rotating the three of you. Whoever isn't teaching will train with me."

"Hey, if you're judging us, then someone wins, right?" Naruto said, still hyper.

"Not really, since we're all sharing them." Sasuke put in, his first words of the morning.

Loor was getting irritated. "Would you guys stop talking like we're not here?!"

"If I'm satisfied with progress," Kakashi said, ignoring Loor again, "I'll reward everyone... somehow."

"Like what?" Fury questioned.

Kakashi shrugged. "I'll figure something out... but everyone's interests are so diverse, it'll be tough to figure out something that'll please all five of you."

Loor, Fury, and Naruto shared glances before raising their hands. "Three votes for Ramen."

Sakura and Sasuke rolled their eyes.

* * *

Agility training was less about fighting and more about running. Sakura had forced Loor to wait for her before dashing off. She came back after a while and explained that she had set up a course of traps.

"Kakashi says you're fighting slow," Sakura explained, "Which means you either take too much time to think, or you're not thinking at all."

Loor blinked, not getting what Sakura was talking about. "You're saying my reaction time is bad?"

"Probably not." The pink haired girl had the voice of a teacher. Loor thought that she'd easily fit in among the staff of Kingston Middle School. "You don't strike me as a slow thinker, which means you're _not_ thinking. You wait for things to happen and then react. Thing is, you might react quickly, but you're not thinking. Your reaction might be the wrong one." She pointed out the way she'd gone. "My trap course is all about thinking. If you just react, you'll catapult into another trap and probably get caught. I didn't use anything too dangerous, but Kakashi will insist that I use sharp objects and explosive tags later."

"Explosive tags?"

"A seal with an explosive justu written on it, triggered by proximity. Get too close, and boom."

"So you're saying... this is gonna be a mine field later on?"

"Yeah." Sakura nodded. "So you gotta learn it now, or you'll get burnt later. Remember, you _need_ to think."

"Right..." Loor shook her head. This girl was treating her like an idiot.

Still, Loor liked this Sakura slightly more than the Sakura that had been showing in the clearing with Kakashi and everyone. Sakura spoke in a strong and confident voice when explaining things now, but back with her team she had spoken softly.

Loor assumed it was Sasuke's presence, which made Loor all that annoyed with the girl. And as we all know, Loor doesn't go quietly when something is annoying her.

"So you like Sasuke, huh?"

Sakura blinked at Loor, as if surprised at the sudden subject change. "Of course I do. He's _gorgeous_._" _

"He's not that hot." Loor stated, standing against her. She wanted to see what kind of argument the pink girl would put up. "He doesn't show emotion at all, he acts like he's got a stick stuck up his ass, and looks like he's never seen a day of sun in his life. What's hot about that?"

"He's strong, and confident, and the best student in the academy!" Sakura defended. "Everyone loves him, and even _if_ he acts like a jerk, I love him too."

Loor knew she hated this girl.

"You love him?" Loor asked softly, as if she were taken aback. It was an act, but Sakura took the bait.

"Yes, I do, with all my heart! I'd lay my life down for him, I'd do anything! All those other girls, they say they love him, but they don't even know him! He's on _my_ team, and I spend almost every day with him."

"So you _do_ know him?" Loor questioned.

"Yes!" She seemed proud. "I know everything about him."

"So you know his favorite food and stuff like that?"

"Everything."

Loor looked up, smirking. "Do you know him?"

"I told you, I know--"

"Everything _about _him, but what a person chooses to show the world isn't who they are." Loor took a step toward Sakura, as if a cat closing in on a mouse. "You don't know a damn thing. You don't know who he is..." She glared, frowning. "You are pathetic."

"Pathetic?" She didn't back up. "Who are you calling pathetic?"

"You. You tell yourself that you love him, and you don't even know who he is. You're shallow, doing what everyone else does in hopes that you'll succeed where they failed. They call that insanity, Sakura, where you repeat an action thinking there will be a different result. Never thought that _being yourself_ might be an option?"

"Being myself?!" She seemed appalled. "Who said I wasn't being myself?"

"You have. You act for your dear Sasuke, pretending to be the perfect girl. Thing is, I don't think he likes girls that much. I think he's grown out of the little kid games, and he likes women now. And with the way you're acting, you're not a woman. You're pretending to be a little girl, but inside you're growing up, and you're afraid he won't like you. Here's the thing though..." She took another threatening step. "He never liked that little girl in the first place."

"What do you know about me?"

She asked this as she fumbled a step back.

"You don't know who I am!" She continued. "You can't, you haven't spoken to me more than three or four times!"

"Words don't tell me who a person is." Loor smiled. She became less hostile. "A person tells me who a person is. You can say all you want, but its your manner that tells me who you are, where you are in life, and what you're struggling with. Sakura... you may like Sasuke on the surface, but you need to know who he is before you decide that you love him."

Sakura blinked. She wasn't expecting Loor to soften.

Finally, she asked. "What do you know about love?"

"More than I want to know." Loor sighed, heavily. "But one thing I know, more than anything, is you can't want it."

"Like... playing hard to get?"

"No." Loor shook her head. "Don't play. Sakura, Sasuke isn't looking for a relationship. He's been burnt, and he doesn't trust people. You can't change this, and he won't be attracted to someone as... pathetic as you are. He hates people who try to get close to him. I hate him, and he came to me. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

She cocked her head to the side, like a confused dog. "I... have to hate him?"

Loor sighed. No one ever understood the first time. "No. You need to be yourself, and you need to be an island. Forget Sasuke, forget boys on a whole. Don't think about your life as a housewife, think about your life as a independent shinobi! Think about how strong, how great, you can become on your own. Not how nice it would be to get married to someone."

Sakura didn't seem to get it. She just stared at Loor, as if she couldn't believe what the girl dared to say.

She did what most people did when Loor aimed to beat the stupid out of them.

"What the heck do you know about me?" She snapped, frowning. "Forget him? Like I could! If I stop trying, someone else will snap him up! Oh, Ino would be all over him."

"Suit yourself." Loor dismissed.

She had hoped that Sakura would be smart enough to take direct advice, but very few women were. They'd rather complain than fix their situation. They had their bits of logic that kept them from trying something new, but Loor had different ways of cracking a class B pathetic.

There was always a method of force. It was the method that usually worked. It was a simple matter of guided confrontation, though Loor knew to never present it as it was.

She just hoped it worked... because the third way of treating a class B pathetic was not pretty.

"Sakura," Loor said, getting set up to start on the trap course she should have started on a while ago. "When I'm not sparring with people in the middle of the night, I usually go out to train on my own. Drop by tomorrow night, and I'll teach you something good."

"... and what is that, exactly?" The pink haired girl asked tentively.

"You'll see. I'll show you where the go when training is over."

"... alright."

* * *

This is how Loor deals with a class B pathetic. Honestly I've only handled a few, and most responded to lecture.

Most.

**No ownage.**

Loor


	63. Rematch

**Markings- Middle Ground  
****Chapter Sixty Three- Rematch**

Loor had Sakura following her, striding quickly despite the fact that she was limping.

She had not done well at the trap course. Of course, Loor had taken it on pure instinct, not listening to Sakura's warning about needing to think. Trap triggers had been thin, see-through fish line like wires all over the place. Loor would trip one that would, for example, loose a log at the end of a rope to come crashing through the trees to smack her. Loor would jump out of the way of it only to trip the next trap, which would be something like a slingshot firing rocks, or a pitfall covered up by leaves, or something else that would make her all black and blue the next morning. Each was more painful than the last, and Loor was sure she'd never see the end of it once she'd started the chain reaction.

Of course, that's when pain became her teacher. After triggering several traps, she paused to try and find the next trap and avoid it. Of course, this ended up with her getting smacked by the trap she _didn't_ jump away from, but it got her thinking in the right direction. She got hit by a swinging log, fell into two pit-falls, and got hooked on a foot trap that made her into a sitting duck for one of the rock sling shots before she figured out how to look for trap wires by looking for their shadows. She still tripped them, but she'd gotten a start on looking for them.

As for pit falls, her ass was still complaining on how she hadn't figured the trick on finding those yet.

Sakura had found the whole thing rather entertaining when Loor finally finished the course. The girl had come out limping, and bleeding here and there. Of course, Sakura couldn't offer more advice than she already had. Part of training was figuring things out. Plus, Sakura couldn't teach Loor how to think fast. The girl already had that going for her, she just had to remember to think.

Now, after running that hell-on-earth course, Loor was showing Sakura where she wanted to meet her the next night. Loor was leading Sakura to her clearing, with the river cutting through it. She saw little harm, in all honesty. She had become less protective of the flowers of late, and was willing to sacrifice some of the multitude if it meant knocking some sense into someone.

They could only bloom for so long anyway. Loor hefted a sigh as they walked, frowning softly to herself. What had she been thinking? That she could preserve the place? What for?

Yeah... she wanted to show Gaara what the site of their first kiss had turned into, what a pleasing place it had become, but she couldn't save it for him when she knew she'd never see him again.

She had to let go.

So Loor led Sakura to her clearing. As the sun was on its way to setting the flowers dared to bloom where shadows covered them.

"Whoa," Sakura said as they entered. "Grave flowers."

"Eh?" Loor glanced at her.

"The flowers." The pink haired wonder answered. "They have a different name, but the common one is grave flowers. They call them that because when you pick them they die at once, but the bloom doesn't wilt for at least a month. You don't have to water them because they're already dead, so people like to decorate graves with them. A little morbid, but they make really nice bouquets." She shook her head. "I knew they grew near water, but I've never run into a patch before. To catch them blooming is rare."

"Hm? Really?" Loor grew curious. Not that she was into flower arrangement or anything, but it was interesting that the flowers wouldn't wilt so quickly. It was like the lazy person's center piece.

"Yeah. On their own, left alone, they only bloom for a week or so. Then the plants die."

"Don't the flowers stay open though?" Loor asked. Logic said that it would work that way.

"No." Sakura shook her head. "I think they mentioned it in the flower arrangement class I took... but for some reason they always die during the day, when they close up and look dead." She looked at Loor. "You should pick some to save them. If they die, they should die when they look their best."

"If you say so." Loor shrugged, turning to leave. "I'll see you here tomorrow night. Be ready for a fight."

"You mean this is gonna be sparring practice?" Sakura asked. "I get plenty of that with Naruto. He always wants to fight."

Loor looked back and smirked. "Naruto has never put you through this, Sakura. Trust me on that one."

With the look on the blond girl's face, Sakura grew nervous. "W-what are we gonna do?"

"You'll see. Just be ready for anything, including your worst nightmare."

* * *

Neji had arrived early, as was habit for him. Last time he and Loor had fought he had hidden in the trees to give her a sneak attack, but this time he just stood dead center in the clearing. His white eyes scanned the area in front of him calmly and slowly as he was, at the same time, acutely aware of the area behind him. Even without the byakugan activated, he was like the rest of his family in the constant awareness of what was around him at all times.

Just as sure as he was early, his adversary was late. She showed up when sundown was almost over, and night had began.

"What took you?" He gave, smirking. "Were you going to leave me hanging?"

"You kidding me? I'd never pass this up." She was grinning. In the growing dimness he saw a flash that came off of a metallic object. She had retrieved a weapon. "I just had to go and get my buddy Ryu, is all."

"Ryu..." Neji tasted the word. "Interesting name for a weapon. I assume it's the one TenTen gave you... did you name it?"

"No." She was smirking in the last seconds of the sun's crimson light, before it faded to gray and vanished into dark. "And you don't need to know much more on the subject."

He nodded, reminded of why they were there. The rematch he promised himself she'd never have. He gained focus, feeling himself become ready.

His icy white eyes looked upon her, and saw that where he had gained focus, she had lost focus. She stared at him, yes, but she also looked beyond him. She didn't quite look frightened, but she certainly looked confused.

A few seconds later, she blinked. When she actually looked at him again, he could see a red glow come to her cheeks.

She was _blushing? _What for?

"What is wrong with you?" He questioned in nearly the same tone he had used that morning over breakfast.

She blinked several times more, and then suddenly grew aggravated. She glared at him, looking to puff up like an angry cat, and held Ryu ready. She gave the weapon a quick swipe through the air, as if to catch his attention. "There's nothing _wrong_ with me. Now, let's do this."

* * *

Loor wanted to scream.

Why sundown? Why had she agreed to sundown? Why didn't she think of the dangers of the night, and the dangers of being around him, or any other guy for that matter?

Why hadn't she thought of Lyra?

Even squaring off with Neji, Lyra's latest influence ran through her brain. The... _things_ she'd been show by the beast!

Just in thinking about possibilities.

She had no more time to think though. The fight was starting, and she had to forget what she saw quickly or Neji would make mince meat out of her with his bare hands. Already she had him in front of her, Ryu held out as a threat, waiting for an opening.

These two had fought before. They were both close range people. Neji didn't need a weapon beyond his hands, and Loor could have fought with her fists, her feet, Ryu, or anything else at her disposal. Naruto had noted a while ago that she didn't truly have a fighting style as it meandered all the time between focusing on speed or power. She was just a born fighter who liked to brawl.

That was okay though. She'd keep her enemies guessing with that one. It meant she could adapt.

As if some unseen signal had been given, they both moved at the same time. Neji slipped forward, leading with his left side and poised to strike. She gave the same move to the center, leading with her right, Ryu sliding into the way of his strike.

The two slid past each other, but Loor felt a minor victory in the fact that she heard Neji grunt in pain.

There were two blades on Ryu, and they stretched in opposing directions. Usually she'd have the top blade curved toward her enemy, but this time it had paid to have the back blade pointed to him. Neji had slid past, and was rewarded by a cut in the front of his shirt and a streak of blood across his stomach.

He didn't dwell on the blood, he came right back. This time, he knew better than to slide. The two engaged head on.

She was surprised when he came at her. He was moving faster than he had before, and of course he was. It had been more than a month, and he had been training just as much. But she was quick, and knew how to operate her stave on both sides to the point that it almost seemed like two weapons.

Strikes met blocks, but she had run into the same problem she had when they first fought.

She couldn't attack without opening herself up to being hit. She could maintain, but she couldn't get the upper hand.

Unless...

She let out a short cry, firing up some more for the fight. In that short yelp she had turned to the side and dodged out of the way of a strike he had aimed for her chest. In the same move, she had spun and gone to his side, aiming to clock him over the head with the hard wooden handle of her weapon.

He blocked.

Whoa. He had never had to block her before. She'd either hit him or not.

She thought fast, and instead of going with her gut and pulling away, she pulled hard on the handle. The top blade _was_ facing him this time, and his hand was pulled by the hook. She pulled his hand in, and aimed a powerful kick for his body.

She forgot that he had another hand to block with though. He knocked her foot away and freed his hand, backing off and glancing at the bright ribbon of blood coming off the top of his wrist where the blade had caught.

Loor 2. Neji 0.

"C'mon Neji..." Loor smirked, feeling cocky enough to taunt him. "If ya wanna hit me you gotta try a little harder!"

He shot her a look that would have made the average person swallow their tongue. It only got her more excited though, spinning her weapon and setting back to stand off with him and smirk.

He dashed forward, and she regretted her confidence.

He hit hard and fast, and she wasn't even sure where she'd been hit. One second he was in front of her, the next second he was behind her and she was stumbling. He hadn't been using the byakugan, so he hadn't shut anything off, but shit that kid could pack a punch!

She turned, gaining her feet and charging.

He rounded, grinning before ducking under her weapon and thrusting into her stomach, knocking her back. She lost her balance when she landed on her heels, rolling back instead of allowing herself to fall. She was back on her feet, but he was right there.

She snarled, making the first move in the exchange. She dove to the side to get past him, trying to run right against him so her weapon would catch on his side, but he sensed this and pushed her away, diving away in the same motion.

The two faced each other, winded.

He still hadn't activated the byakugan.

She growled, backing off a few steps and putting her weapon across her shoulders. She balanced it, freeing her hands. "You've gotten faster." She commented, smirking. "But I got a few more tricks up my sleeve than last time."

He felt her chakra flare. She made a hand sign and had finished the jutsu before he had time to interfere.

In a moment, there were ten of her. They had appeared out of nowhere, the way clones usually do, but that wasn't what made Neji on edge. He could sense it, they weren't dopplegangers. These were solid clones, shadow clones, also known as _kagebushin. _

She'd been training with Naruto. Figured, since she was so much like him.

Neji didn't have to look, he knew that all ten of the clones had arranged in a circle around him. Loor was among them, of course, but even the byakugan couldn't tell the difference between a shadow clone and a real person if the person made them properly.

Besides. He didn't have to bother with finding the right one.

He smirked, allowing his byakugan come into play. He saw them all now, the veins to his eyes swelled with the tell-tale look of his ability.

The group didn't speak, they just charged. They all carried the weapon, and it was upraised. Each came with the full intent to kill him.

She had been getting better.

Still, he had something up his sleeve too.

It started with slipping his foot back, and then planting his toes. With that, he threw himself into a spin, throwing his hands out. From there it was a push of chakra, pushing it out of his body and into the air, powering the spin to continue and erecting a visible blue swirl of energy around him. It was a bubble of blue, spinning counter clock-wise.

Nine clones burst into smoke when they hit it. Loor crashed right into it, and was thrown so far she knocked into one of the trees that bordered the clearing. She hit hard, shoulder blades first, before gravity took hold and she landed on her butt at the base of the tree.

She had the wind knocked out of her, but she did her best not to show him that. As her body hiccuped and coughed, she hid it and got to her feet. She held her weapon still, having clutched it through the impact.

She glared at him, a new fire in her eyes. He stood, superiority in his stance.

She bellowed as soon as her breath returned, and came at him again. He met her, speed on his side. She blocked him, and in earnest. Now that he had opened the byakugan, he would start hurting her chakra network if he got a hand on her. Strike after strike, she had to keep up with him or she'd be lost.

She couldn't fight this one like she had fought the last one. Before she had just been trying to show him that she had the chops, but this time she had to win. Not only that, but she wouldn't take a 'just barely' win.

No. She had to be able to hit him without taking a hit. She had to win without nearly killing herself in the process.

She had to think.

With a cry she pushed hard at the next shot she blocked, pushing him back and away from her. She held Ryu out, the point of the blade up, as a threat while circling him. He took the same cue, following the circle.

They had stood off again.

She wondered how long he'd let her think, but blinked to drive it off. Okay, what did she have? Ryu, obviously. Substitution, but she wasn't very good at it. He'd hit her before she managed it. Shadow clones, but he already proved those were useless with that new move he'd pulled on her.

What the hell was that anyway?

Neji snorted, slipping forward to knock Ryu out of the way, and Loor responded by meeting him and flipping the stave around, smacking his hands away again. He smirked at her, not laying off. He went for her chest, and she braced the stave in front of herself to block.

He closed his hands around Ryu, on top of her hands.

"You're rather defensive." He still held the voice of dominance. "Something wrong? Is it that you're toying with me... or you have no idea how to fight me without letting yourself get hurt?"

She snarled at him, pulling hard on Ryu and planting her feet, trying to pry free of him. She said nothing to him, burning with the need to get away and bean him over the head.

"Or are you confused about the rotation?" He held firm, pulling back, like children fighting over a play thing.

Rotation?

It hit her like a ton of bricks. So much that she questioned it out loud. "...rotation?" she questioned.

She lost enough focus for her fingers to loosen, but his were on top of hers. He wasn't trying to take it, he was trying to prevent her from using it. Still, it didn't matter, her brain firing with a sudden idea that was so crazy she was sure it would either work or kill them both.

She yanked to the side, slipping her hands out from under his on the smooth surface of the stave. She spun away from him, leaving the weapon with him.

She wouldn't need it for this stunt.

Neji tossed Ryu aside, not practiced enough with long handled weapons to use one. Instead, he watched her.

She was grinning, gathering chakra again.

He shook his head. "You already tried that."

"Then you already know how to defend!" She shouted back, producing clones as she had before. There were more of them now, many more. Neji didn't take the time to count them, just to note there were quite a few. They did what they had done before, ringing him.

One stood back, away from the many. Neji assumed that was the real Loor, hiding away from danger. When did she become such a coward?

She was grinning with an almost devilish quality, barking the command to charge. As her clones complied, she ran forward.

Neji didn't think, throwing himself into the rotation again.

She watched, still running towards him as the blue bubble came forth again. She had to hit this right on the head, or she'd go flying again... and probably land on her neck. One of her clones had turned and knelt about five feet from Neji, her hands out, waiting.

Loor held her right hand out to her side, gathering air. Her left hand formed the proper hand seal for her fire element. She had to make the burning typhoon on the run, bellowing as she made it to the clone. She put her foot into the clone's hands, and the clone ejected her upwards.

Loor used a chakra assist to go high, and turned her spinning ball of fire downwards.

Below her was Neji.

He was still in the rotation, having to keep it up since she had made so many clones. That was the point. She had to keep him spinning to take him by surprise. Sure, he had the byakugan, but she assumed he could still get dizzy when spinning, and would close his eyes like any other sane person.

The next few seconds felt like slow motion. Neji was directly below her, and she was coming down, burning typhoon first, right on top of him. The only thing that gave her this crazy idea was the fact that he said rotation. Not that what he called the move meant anything, but it was also that he moved counter clockwise.

She was clockwise. She had to spin the air that way in order for her own move to work. She assumed the same rule applied with Neji's rotation. He was a counter clockwise person, so he had to spin himself counter clockwise in order for his rotation to work. So, they were opposing.

Now she was looking straight down at him, like a mirror. Side by side, the two spins opposed, but turned directly on one another they matched.

Loor had an idea that if she matched his rotation, she'd break right through it.

She hit.

Life returned to normal speed, and as far as Loor could tell, it had also exploded. Neji actually yelped in surprise as fire spread over his bubble. He had stopped spinning, and the clones were gone, but he found fire all around and far too close to him for comfort. He could smell something burning, and he was sure it was more than the grass.

He looked up to find the shell created by the rotation had been hijacked. The chakra based rotation had taken Loor's fire, and the spin of her own move, and kept going. She held herself up, but she was inches away from a very hot shell that was also making Neji stay where he was.

He felt her let go of her chakra, and both moves extinguished. Neither had expected that to happen, but Neji was actually quite shaken. He had been burnt in the exchange, his clothes blackened where he had touched. His own chakra had taken on a fire element, and if he hadn't stopped his own flow it would have followed all the way back to his body.

Without the giant burning mass to hold her up anymore, Loor fell next to him. She was shaken too, but she didn't wait to get her wits back together. She took her opening, turned to her adversary, and punched him straight in the face. He was shocked back to reality, stumbling back over the ring of smoldering grass, and she was right after him.

She showed him two shots to the gut and turned to kick him across the face, but he blocked her leg and turned her back the other way, getting back into the game. He struck her across the back, three times in quick session, deactivating the points his palms contacted. He was starting with the points around her lungs.

She would suffer.

She bellowed, turning back around to face him and kicking forward with her head down, contacting hard with his chest. It left him to wheeze for a second as she turned and ran for her weapon. Ryu lay, almost forgotten on the ground, several paces away.

He appeared in front of her, having dashed. She didn't shy away, pumping her legs while scooping up her weapon, plowing through him. He came away, stomach aching from the sudden introduction to her shoulder, as she ran headlong for a tree. With a quick use of chakra control, which was almost second nature to her now, she ran up the side of it and launched off, backwards, to nearly land on top of him. She didn't even breathe, Ryu out and ready.

He had to duck the first blade and jump out of the way of the second as she threw herself into a spin the same way he would, Ryu braced across her stomach.

_The dragon strikes twice._

She had become wild, her eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed, her breath coming out in short and angry bursts, grunting as she put her power into every strike she attempted, every shot he was forced to dodge or block.

She wouldn't let him attack. She wouldn't let him.

He was losing ground, and he knew it. Every step back was towards a tree that would corner him, and this fight would be over.

She would win.

"No!" He snapped, throwing himself forward. He felt the blade, which had been on the downward curve, slash across his shoulder as he came into her range. His hands contacted her chest, and he didn't stop there. He was after whatever chakra he could stop from flowing through her. He would rather kill her than lose to her.

But she didn't seem to be troubled by it. She still came at him, bashing his hands away at times, sometimes with bone-breaking force. She'd twist her stave to knock incoming blows away, take the offense whenever she could, and she never gave any ground. Of course she was struck, but if it was hurting her she refused to show it. No, not now.

Not when she was finally doing something right.

She had caught him at the wrists, threw his arms up, and smacked him across the ribs. He was sure he had felt something crack, but shared her refusal to show pain. It didn't matter what they didn't want to show though, the fact was that they were both running out of steam. Both had used large amounts of chakra, and had been darting around each other best they could. Now Loor could feel the chakra points that Neji had attacked, most of which were her core muscles, and noted that if she was knocked down to her ass she probably wouldn't be able to get up again without help. Like-wise, Neji was bleeding from a few places and most definitely feeling the loss. With that and his aching ribs, of which one he was sure was at least cracked, he was near the end of his rope.

It didn't take much longer.

Neji had taken defense for a while, looking for an opening. He'd take anything at this point, quick before she finished him. Eventually, after watching, he found his answer.

With Ryu, Loor was capable of attack with one half of the weapon and defending with the other. All she had to do was twist it the right way and if the blade at one end didn't keep her enemy at bay, the wood of the handle would. She was pretty good at keeping her body well guarded, but the one thing she didn't guard too well was her feet. From the shin down, she rarely defended.

Of course. No one would think about their feet at a time like this.

With Loor's next strike, he ducked low to the ground, putting his palms to the grass and kicking out at her shins. She didn't expect it, and yelped as she went down, knees crumpling. Before she could even try to get back up he was on his feet, standing over her. One foot was on Ryu, so she couldn't swing. The other foot was on her chest.

He was smirking again. Bleeding, bruised, but smirking.

"I win." He said, sounding superior and smug.

That was his mistake.

Looking down at her, he noted a change. The byakugan still activated, he saw where chakra struggled through her, and where it flowed freely. He saw her chakra in particular, bright blue like most people. The blue, flowing river of energy that kept all living things going. Now, as he looked down at her, he saw something else.

Something he'd seen before in only one other case.

Another chakra source suddenly flared. She seemed to react to it in the same way he did, with shock.

Neji had only seen this once before, and it was fighting Naruto. During the Chunnin finals they had fought, and through the course of the battle Neji had shut down every single chakra point Naruto had. It would have killed a normal person, but Naruto had not only been alive but standing. His body should have been dead and limp, but a second chakra source flared. Neji remembered it yet, the burning crimson force that had brought Naruto back into the fight.

Loor burned a magnificent violet, not red, and her second source was vastly smaller than Naruto's, but Neji had no doubt of a similar effect. He jumped away from her, sure she'd be on her feet in less than a second.

She was.

She had left Ryu behind, grinning as she was back on her feet and back in the game. Neji might have noticed her canines were a tad more pronounced, or that her finger nails took on a darker hue and a sharper shape, or that her pupils had widened to an almost unnatural level, but he took more note of her fist crushing across his face with so much force he was sure his jaw wasn't attached to his face anymore.

He flew.

He fell.

Loor walked over to him, staring down at him as he didn't get up. "Finished already?" She questioned, squatting down by him, sticking her nose in his face. "I just got here."

Neji didn't want to move his jaw. It was attached, but probably broken. He just glared at her as he let the byakugan go, as if to signal surrender. He'd lost enough blood from moving about, the wounds on his wrist, stomach, and the back of his shoulder flowing freely.

Even he knew when it was futile.

"Tch, fine, fine." She took him up on her back, not caring anything to his dignity. "To the hospital we go, quick before Loor gets back in the driver's seat."

Neji didn't question what she said, or what she was doing. He was able to walk for himself, but the blood he had lost was enough to make him feel weak as a kitten. He'd allow her to do this and allow himself to rest. Under the cover of darkness, it was unlikely anyone would see them. No, he didn't fight her at all.

Instead, he closed his eyes.

He had lost.

* * *

I don't care if you call Loor a Mary Sue now, at least someone would say something. Plus in my heart I know Loor isn't a Sue. I've worked too hard for her to be a Sue.

I mean, that's the whole reason I'm here. It's why I started writing, was to disprove the Sue. I feel I'm doing my job.

**No ownage.**

Loor


	64. Friends and Foes

**Markings- Middle Ground  
****Chapter Sixty Four- Friends and Foes**

Neji hadn't been long for the world after he fought Loor. He'd passed out to avoid the humiliating feeling of being carried. When he woke up, it was in the hospital.

It was also before dawn. He had no idea to the time, but the sun had not risen. He was on his back, and a quick mental check told him that he was wearing bandages where he'd been cut open, his headband had been removed, his hair was loose, and he had an IV in one arm. He assumed a blood transfusion. Gritting his teeth slightly told him that if his jaw had been broken, it had been healed upon his arrival to the hospital. A shifting of the rest of his body told him that it was the same story for his ribs.

"Well, well, well. Looks like you're awake."

Neji jerked his head to look into the dark room, his white eyes noting the intruder to be Loor. Why was she there?

"Don't you sleep?"

"_She_ does." She answered cryptically. "Me? I'm a night creature. No need to waste moonlight and eye candy." With that she smirked at him. "You should leave your hair loose more often. It looks so silky."

He blinked at her, wondering how long the transfusion had been in place and if he was hallucinating from a lack of blood in his body. He went from confused to irritated and angry. "Don't you dare try to touch me."

"You don't have to worry about that." She giggled, sounding evil. "You see, I promised her a little something. I can only suggest stuff, but I promised her I wouldn't _do._ Honestly... I thought I wasn't able to _do, _but it seems I can."

He was getting more confused by the second. "Who are you?" He finally saw fit to ask.

"I'm Loor's little secret." She leaned forward from the chair she was sitting in, touching noses with him and staring into his eyes. Where Loor would hold aggression, whoever this personality was seemed interested in more than fighting. "I'm every feeling she hides, every urge she resists, and every bit of raw energy she has. She had me repressed into the back of her mind until late, and now I'm just trying to help her."

Neji swallowed, drawing his head back into his pillow. This... thing was in his bubble space. "The... the other chakra... it's you?"

"Ah, my life blood." She snickered. "Yes it is. I had to take over, or Loor would have lost that fight. Probably would have lost her mind with it. My apologies for cheating, but she's got enough to get over at the moment."

Neji wasn't sure what he wanted to chase after between wanting to know more about this strange extra personality that was apparently living in Loor's head, how the creature had taken over, or what else Loor was dealing with when the girl seemed to try and tell the world she was fine. There was also that part of him that wanted to shut down completely, go back to sleep, and believe this strange encounter was just a dream.

Finally; "Why has she been acting so strange? She's been... less angry at times. Almost friendly. It's annoying, and weird."

"So you like the aggressive type?" The creature giggled. "It's my suggestions. You see, she had a boy, but he's gone, gone away. She needs _someone_ to love, or she's gonna kill herself being depressed. Not that you care about her or anything, I'm sure."

He blinked. This creature, whoever she was, seemed to have Loor's ability for reading people. Yes, he was concerned. Not like he liked her or anything, but after that fight he was willing to see her as an equal and a comrade. Even before then, he wanted to know what was so wrong with her that she'd started blushing in his presence.

"Suggestions?"

"At night, she can see me. I use my chakra to mess with her head. I make her see what I want her to see, though she hasn't acted on any of these images yet. They do disturb her though. I guess that's a start..."

She suddenly shook her head, snorting.

"I didn't come here to tell you that, though. It's no fun when someone else knows the game. I'm here to tell you not to tell Loor about my involvement in the fight. I had to reveal myself... but she can't know I helped her, or her ego will take a pounding. Just... tell her she whacked her head or something if she complains about not remembering. Tell her she won, but don't tell her about me."

"And if I tell her she lost, which would have been true if you didn't get involved?" He asked testily.

She cocked her head to the side, as if that thought hadn't crossed her mind. Then, after a few seconds, she leaned closer. They went from nose to nose to her head being by his. He stiffened as he felt the moist tip of her tongue brush past his ear. "Then I'll make quite sure she listens to my suggestions. Trust me, Neji, she's not just aggressive with her weapon. It's her very nature in every little thing she does." She gave melodic giggle. "She may hate you, but I'm sure that will make things all the more interesting."

With that, she pulled away and left.

Neji blinked, eventually closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

All that, and he didn't even know her name.

* * *

Loor woke up at home. She was disoriented at first, and didn't quite remember the night before with crystal clarity. She sat up, looking for her pants, going through the previous day in her mind, starting with training with Sakura and up through the fight with Neji, but it cut off before the fight had ended. She remembered the trick she had pulled with the burning typhoon, but that was about as far as it got. From there things were fuzzy and muddled, and then completely black.

Groaning, pulling her pants on, she left the bedroom of Lee's apartment and went into the kitchen. From there she busied herself getting cooking stuff out. She thought about making scrambled eggs again, but she was really in an egg sandwich kind of mood... the only problem was that she didn't have a toaster or bread. Or butter for that matter.

She settled for scrambled eggs while writing herself a quick list of things she needed to either borrow from Naruto or buy herself once she'd found a way to earn money. So far she'd been freeloading off of Naruto and Fury, who had been getting mission fees from going on missions with Kiba's team. She'd have to find something, like mowing lawns or baby sitting to make some quick change. Still, even as she thought of that, she realized that was the exact type of things Genin were stuck doing. People put them in as D rank missions and the local Genin did them for a small fee.

Funny, the whole bloody village ran on shinobi acting as handy men. She had a thought that construction projects might have been distributed to the village shinobi as well. Crazy.

Once she was fed she left the apartment in search of Neji. She didn't remember the end of the fight, but seeing as she was home she had to assume she had won.

Which meant the logical place to look for Neji was the hospital.

The sun had just risen, which meant Konoha was waking up. Loor walked through the streets from the shinobi complexes, already knowing her way and only passing a few people on the way. She noticed there weren't a whole lot of people with headbands in the streets, when the shinobi were usually the early risers.

She huffed slightly. It must have been the fact that the village was in crisis mode. There weren't enough shinobi to go around anyway, so the streets were almost free of them because they were off on missions. She had to wonder, when would Naruto's team be sent off on a mission? Would it be more than they could handle?

Would she and Fury come with?

She tried to shake those thoughts as she entered the hospital, going straight to the nurse's station that was right near the front door. The nurse took notice of her while yawning. The lady must have been at the end of her shift or something.

"You..." She said while nodding at Loor. "You come to see the boy you brought in last night?"

Loor didn't remember this, but nodded anyway. "Uh, yeah. Just wanted to make sure he was okay." She lied.

The nurse gave her a funny look. "Weren't you here just a few hours ago? You sat by his bed till four in the morning, wouldn't leave till you got to talk to him."

Loor raised an eyebrow, but tried not to question what she was being told. "Um... right. I told him I'd come back though. He's one of my peer teachers."

The nurse looked like she was still confused, but shrugged and told Loor that she could go see him whenever she wanted.

Loor took this information with a nod, but didn't ask for directions. Supposedly she'd already been there, but she had no memory of such. She began to panic, thinking she'd never find his room when she ran into another group of nurses wondering the halls. None of them knew her, but one of them knew where Neji's room was. After the strange experience, Loor moved quickly for fear of running into the dreaded Dr. Sumeyo.

Thankfully she found Neji's room quickly, and didn't run into the doctor at all.

Neji was the only person in his room, the other bed empty for the time being. The sheets looked rumpled though. The previous person had only left recently.

Neji was awake, and looked mildly surprised.

"Loor?" He questioned, though it was obviously her in the morning light.

"Who the hell else would it be?" She snapped at him, stalking over to his bed and taking the chair next to it in a huff. "What happened last night? I don't remember much after setting you on fire for some reason."

"You probably hit your head, you klutz." He answered with equal aggression. Then he paused before saying; "You won."

She blinked. That was strange. Not that she doubted his answer, but it was odd for him to just say it without making her work for it. She didn't know what to make of it, and he seemed to realize that.

"Don't question my behavior," He said with the same voice. "And I won't question yours."

"My behavior?" She got up, snorting. "What the hell is wrong with my behavior?"

"What do you think is wrong, Loor?" He didn't raise his voice, but he held a cold steely tone. "Even before our fight, you stared at me. You _blushed._ What has you so changed that you'd fancy me?"

She choked. She actually choked, as if she could actually gag at the idea of getting anywhere near him in such a manner. "I don't." She said shortly, turning to leave. She had to get out of there. This conversation could not go any further, or she'd be forced to tell him about Lyra.

She felt his hand shoot up and secure around her elbow, and turned with her electrical blue eyes sparking with repressed rage. "What?" She growled. "Do you _want_ me to like you?"

He had a similar reaction to hers, accompanied by quickly letting go and sitting back in his hospital bed. "All I want," He said, "are answers."

It was a stand off. She had a choice. She could tell him everything, or make a run for the door.

But she never ran away.

Slowly, she sat in the chair.

"I see things at night." She admitted. She didn't say it as if it were something wrong with her. She just stated it as fact. "Things I don't really wanna see. It happens around boys that I think look... well..." She cleared her throat. "Okay, let's just be straight about this. It happens around guys that I think look drop dead sexy, and there happen to be a few of those around Konoha. Whether I like them or not, I see things that make me have urges. I don't do anything... but..."

She sighed.

"You're afraid you'll lose control." He summed up for her.

She nodded. "Strange thing is the only one I've run into at night so far is you, Neji, since this started happening. I'm a little thankful for it. If this ever happened with Naruto, or Lee, or some other guy I didn't hate with every fiber of my being, I probably wouldn't be able to hold back. I'm almost afraid. They may know about this strange... condition, but in at least Lee's case I know he likes me back. If I started something, it probably wouldn't stop."

"You're boy crazy." He noted.

She glanced at him, and nodded slightly. "I know." She got up, no longer looking vulnerable. "Either way, tell no one about this. I don't need to be sent to a loony bin. Really, I don't."

He nodded. He wanted to ask her about the strange visit from earlier that morning, but bit his tongue. He had no doubt that her other personality was listening to every word.

He hated Loor as much as she hated him. He didn't need her over-sexual personality trying to get them to knock boots.

The girl turned to leave, and he made no move to stop her.

* * *

"_Kaa-san!!" _

Loor, on her way away from the hospital, stopped and turned just in time to see Konohamaru running for her. The little kid had his two friends, Mogi and Udon, right behind him. She blinked twice before offering a smile and waving. She waited till the trio had gotten to her and ground to a stop before asking "You three are up early. What's the deal?"

Kony was bouncing up and down. "We're on our way to school!" He answered. "Where are you going?"

"Eh..." She blinked, remembering that Konohamaru and his friends still went to school; the ninja academy. "I was just leaving the hospital. Listen, I don't wanna make you late so--"

"Walk with us!" Kony crowed, grabbing Loor's hand with a grip that was surprising for a kid his age. He let go once she started walking, but it was still strange to get dragged around by a kid.

"Um... okay. Hey, wait a second..." She twisted her head to look back to where Kony had been coming from. "Why were you coming from the shinobi complexes?"

"Huh?" Kony looked up. "I live in the apartments."

"But you're like... seven."

Mogi joined the conversation. "Konohamaru's parents have been gone for a long time. Sarutobi sensei was the only family he had left."

"So you're living on your own?" Loor questioned. She was horrified at the prospect. Oh, sure, she was a lone wolf type, but she had no idea what she would have done growing up without her family waiting for her at home every night.

"Uh-huh." Kony nodded. "Mogi and Udon help. Their parents come by pretty often and give me stuff... it's pretty nice, but I made 'em promise to knock it off once I'm a Genin and doing missions so I can provide for myself!"

"Why don't you just live with them?" Loor questioned, looking critically at the three children before her.

"Well..." Mogi sighed. "My family doesn't have the space to have a boy in a house, and they won't let him sleep in my room."

Udon nodded. "And it's just me and my mom." He sniffed hard against the cold he seemed to constantly have. "She couldn't handle both of us. At least... that's why she said. I told her we would behave, but she said no."

"That's terrible." Loor frowned. "You can't just leave someone your age all by themselves."

"Why not?" Kony asked. "A lot of kids my age are orphaned! They live in the shinobi complexes without any help at all. I got it easy."

Loor stared at him, at a loss for words. He seemed so okay with his predicament, but where she came from it was not only sad, it was straight up unnatural for a kid to not want someone to be with. Someone to scream to when they had a nightmare, or to make breakfast, or to read stories, or make memories with. A kid needed someone to be a parent.

"There's the academy!" Kony declared. He turned and waved to Loor. "See you later _Kaa-san!" _

Loor stopped walking, waving at the three kids ran off. She watched as the three of them joined other children that were swarming inside a wall built around a school-house like building with the leaf symbol over the front door.

She frowned before turning and walking away.

She wouldn't stand for this. If no one else was going to care about him, _she_ was going to do it.

She left the school behind, jogging away to go back home. That was where Naruto would be looking for her for training, so she had to be there. At the same time she was evolving a plan. She'd have to get Lee's permission, of course. It was still his apartment. After that, she'd talk to Kony and see if he even wanted to stay with her. The kid seemed independent, and explaining logic to a seven year old was a tough thing to do. She'd just have to present her offer in a way a child would accept.

Suddenly, her thoughts skidded to a stop.

She couldn't do this.

She was still going home. She couldn't take him in and then leave, that just wasn't fair. That would be terrible, more terrible than just letting him live on his own.

But...

She wrestled with herself. It was cruel to him to leave him like that, but now she had the thought that it was equally cruel for her to leave at all. She couldn't help but admit, she'd become attached to Konoha village and the people in it. It had changed her, and Lyra wasn't even the half of it.

She arrived at the apartment that she shared with Lee, but didn't enter. No, she stood outside.

She couldn't leave. She looked around, and saw the village all around her. She saw people, and sunlight, and buildings and birds and... life. To think her world, or the option of going back, even existed felt like fantasy. Fantastic like a fairy tale.

It had been too long. She'd accepted this place, and as much as she needed to go home...

She no longer wanted to.

"_Imoto-chan!" _

Loor turned to Naruto's call for her. She stared at him as he ran up, numbly. Was she to forget about her new big brother? Forget about Gaara when she carried a piece of him at all times? Forget what she'd learned here?

No. Home wasn't what she wanted anymore.

She broke into a big smile. _"Nii-san!" _She answered. "I was about to go looking for you!"

He laughed, stopping by her and grinning. "So, what happened last night?"

She snickered, flexing her arms. "What do you think?" She asked with mock arrogance.

"You kicked his ass!" Naruto cheered. "Yes!"

The two exchanged a quick hug and then got on their way.

Loor wouldn't trade what she'd found here for the world. Any world.

Now all she had to do was tell Fury. The girl would be overjoyed, Loor was sure. Fury would be able to stay with Kiba, and her puppy.

And Loor wouldn't sleep till she'd had her shot at Orochimaru. Yes, it was the best choice.

Fury just had to be informed.

* * *

Ah, you gotta love turning points, right?

**I don't own it.**

Merry Christmas all.

~Loor


	65. Runaway

**Markings- Middle Ground  
****Chapter Sixty Five- Runaway**

Naruto and Loor went to the same meeting place as the day before, and just like the day before the whole group of junior shinobi arrived before any sign of their teacher did. Fury arrived with Sasuke, and Sakura was there before all of them. Typical.

Loor, without hesitation, took Fury by the arm and led her a little ways from the group to speak with her.

Fury, confused, was quick to ask "What's up? Something scary happen last night with Neji?"

Loor snickered, shaking her head. "Not even close. I..." She paused. "I wanna apologize."

Fury tilted her head, confused. At her feet, Schizo whined slightly to imitate her owner's confusion. "What for, and why? You never say sorry."

"Yeah... well... I gotta say it this time." Loor sighed. "I'm really sorry, but... you win. We'll stay."

Fury didn't react right away, but when she did her eyes widened and she actually took a step back. "Say what?"

"We'll stay. Fury, I'm sorry I argued with you... but I just can't leave now. I mean... all the shit that's happened to us, and now we're getting all regular and stuff... I don't want the world to get flipped upside down again."

"But... you..." Fury frowned, blinking. "You heard Tsunade, didn't you? When we talked to her? It's dangerous for us to stay here."

"It's just as dangerous as going home. She said that too."

"But if Kabuto came after me, he'd get noticed for sure by the people where we're from!" Fury was whispering, but intense. Not to mention scared. Loor's sudden change of heart was not welcome. "Loor, what's up with you?"

"I..." She sighed, lowering her head. She knew Fury was right. She hated it, but she knew it. "Did you know Kony is living alone?" She asked.

"Huh? What's that got to do with anything?"

"He's seven, Fury!" Loor snapped. "He's seven and living all by himself with no one to be there every day. It's not good for him... it's not good for any kid. I... I realized I had to do something and then I realized that I was acting like this was home... so I thought it might as well _be_ home."

"But..." Fury shook her head. "Loor, we gotta go back. We shouldn't be all alone either. You're living in an apartment all by yourself too. Still... we make our decision at the end of the month. That's what Tsuande said. We'll think about it, and at the end of all this we'll figure it out. For now... let's just live."

Loor looked at Fury, and smiled softly. "What the hell would I do without you?" She asked, putting her arm over the smaller girl's shoulder. "Every time I lose it you're there to put the sanity back in my head."

Fury giggled, shrugging as the two started walking, Schizo trotting after them. "A gift, I guess."

The two returned to the area that everyone else was waiting in. Sakura was actually standing there with a stop watch.

"What's that for?" Fury asked.

"I'm trying to average out how late Kakashi is every day." She answered. "Then I'll know how much I can sleep in every day."

Loor smirked. She knew there was at least one quality about Sakura that she liked.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, we're all working on her last average, which is about an hour. That way, we only wait like half an hour or so."

"Smart." Loor complimented. "What's prompted you to start taking times again?"

"He's been showing up within a quarter of an hour." Sakura answered. "It means our margin of error is shrinking, so our chances of looking late instead of him being late are going up. I need to recalculate a new average so we stay safe from being caught."

"Does he ever question the stop watch when he arrives?" Fury asked.

"No." Sasuke answered her. "I think he knows what we're doing... but as long as he doesn't call us on it we get more sleep. I'm not going to argue with that."

"Huh... I guess he is pretty cool for a teacher." Loor muttered.

Not a few seconds later, Kakashi arrived. He wasn't reading this time, and just had his hands stuffed into his pockets. "Morning." He greeted with lack luster cheeriness.

Loor gave a two fingered salute as most everyone else hardly reacted, except Sakura clicked her stopwatch and put it away before saying; "Morning Sensei. Are we doing what we did yesterday?"

"Not quite." Kakashi answered, happy to get right down to brass tacks. "Sakura, you'll be training with me today. Sasuke, you'll be doing what you were doing yesterday with Fury, but you'll be doing it with Loor."

Loor and Sasuke made quick eye contact, and angry, aggressive energy was traded.

"Naruto," Kakashi went on, looking at the excited kid. "You'll be taking Fury and doing some chakra training. I'd say start with the basics, but I've heard from Sakura that she actually has the grips on basic genjutsu. Teach her as much as you know, and then move on to meditation."

"Meditation?" Naruto questioned. "Sensei, that's boring!"

"You have to teach the girl and the dog." Kakashi mentioned. "Good luck with the canine."

Fury looked at her puppy. "You can teach a dog to meditate?"

"How do you think Kiba can perform techniques with Akamaru, Fury? Akamaru is a nin dog, which means he uses chakra and techniques just like a shinobi does. Schizo must be trained in the same way you are, in the basic senses. Schizo must do everything with you. That's her job as your companion."

Schizo, as if stepping up to the plate of such a challenge, barked excitedly.

Fury nodded slowly. "If you say so..."

Naruto was looking at Schizo. "You sure we can't get Kiba to teach the dog?"

Kakashi had a smirk in his voice. "Awe, Naruto, I thought you liked challenges."

The blond suddenly took on a much more determined look. "Right!" He motioned for Fury to follow him. "I'll be a great teacher, believe it!"

With that, he and Fury left the clearing.

Sasuke sighed, motioning Loor along. "Let's get this over with." He said as if it were the last thing he wanted to do. He started walking, and she followed.

They sank into the trees, and silence occurred. Loor didn't mind it, and she was sure Sasuke was enjoying it while he could. Loor _was_ quite the loud mouth, and she'd let him have his quiet for the time being. He'd get an earful soon enough.

"Sakura is acting different."

Whoa, left field! Loor snapped him a look for talking first, and raised an eyebrow for talking about Sakura. "Where did _that_ come from?" She questioned.

"Just saying so. She wasn't acting all shy this morning."

"Yeah. I noticed that. Can't say I'm complaining... and I can't say that I'm done with her."

"Hm?"

"I talked with her yesterday."

He looked back at her. "About me?" He seemed irked.

"Geez, how egotistical are you? No, I talked to her about her behavior and how she changed it for particular people, you being an example. I told her that if she wanted to get anywhere she'd have to stop acting and be herself. Plain and simple." She then chuckled softly. "She told me I knew nothing about her and pretty much blew me off, but I guess she thought about what I said."

"If she listened to your lecture, what else is there to do?"

Loor smirked. "Oh, a little this and a little that. Trust me, it's all for a good cause. But please do remind me why you care?"

He stiffened, snorted, and walked faster.

She smirked. It was too easy to get to this kid. She moved faster as well, jumping up into the branches of the trees, hopping ahead of him and then hanging from a branch to grin in his face like the funky vanishing cat from Alice in Wonderland. She also said nothing, knowing that would irritate him more than talking would.

He glared, moving to the side to go around her, but she moved from side to side to block his way.

"Damn it, what has got you so freakin' happy today?" He snapped.

"I kicked Neji's sorry ass last night. Do I need another reason to be happy?"

His face became less irritated and a little more shocked. Then he went right back to being angry, grabbing her head with one hand and pushing her out of the way, dislodging her from the tree branch in the process.

"So, what? You itching to fight me too?" He shook his head as she got to her feet to follow him again. "That would be biting off more than you can chew, trust me."

She grinned. Perfect.

"You think so, huh?" She was right behind him. "Prove it to me. I got some special training going on tonight. Drop by my river clearing around sundown, and I'll make sure it's worth your while."

He stopped and looked at her, putting on the brakes so fast that she nearly crashed into him. An inch away, he narrowed his dark eyes to glare at her. "What kind of special training?"

"Just a little something I came up with the other day. I can't tell you, or it wouldn't be nearly as fun. Just come prepared."

"What if I don't come?"

She giggled, walking past him. "Sasuke, I know you enough to know your curiosity will make you come." She turned to smirk at him. "I know you're not stupid."

He glared at her again before pushing back into the lead.

"I'll be there." He huffed.

She giggled, following with a bounce in her step.

Too perfect.

* * *

Training with Sasuke had been strength training by running drills while wearing weights. Pretty much throwing punches and kicks for hours on end, tiring out, climbing a few trees while resting up, and doing it all over again to the point of sweating and nearly tossing one's lunch. Sasuke made mention that Fury hadn't done well the day before, burning out very quickly, but that was expected. Loor was the dragon of the two.

Of course, on top of that, were push-ups and sit-ups and squats and stuff like that. Sasuke used weights fashioned out of what was at hand; wood. At the end of it all, Loor was sure she was going to die or puke from not eating enough.

She did neither while Sasuke was around. No, pride was far too important with the gothic cockatoo present.

Once that was over with, she decided to go to her clearing.

After what Sakura had said the night before, Loor had an idea. She could only hope that the flowers were still alive. When she arrived they looked dead, but that was because the sun was still up. Looking around, she saw that other flowers that were covered by the trees' shadows were open, and that gave her another idea.

Quickly, she took off her coat and cast it over several of the colorful blooms, squatting in the patch.

Sakura said that the flowers would stay in bloom and not wilt for a month after someone picked them.

Loor knew that what she was doing was sad and pathetic, but she felt the need to do it. She had to put something of a deadline on herself, cause she couldn't just drop things all at once.

She'd pick some of the flowers. She'd take them home, set them up like a decoration.

She peeked under her coat. Sure enough, the lack of light was causing the blooms underneath to open. She put it back down, sitting and thinking. She didn't care if she crushed the flowers now. She only needed a few of them.

Gaara would never see this place... not like this. Still... the flowers would play their part. She'd take that little bunch home. And when they finally wilted... she would give up. She would stop waiting for Gaara to magically appear in her life again and move on.

She stop waiting for things to magically become right, and move on from everything.

"Mourning someone?"

Loor gasped, turning in her spot in shock to find someone standing on the edge of her clearing. It wasn't a student.

It was Kakashi sensei.

"Wha... what are you doing out here?" Loor asked after a few seconds.

"You ran off without even talking to your sister after training." Kakashi commented, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Not exactly the signal someone gives when all is well... and to be picking grave flowers before sundown, you must have something very important on your mind."

"Yeah well, it's important to me, not you." She snorted, turning back to her flowers and checking them again, They were fully open. She reached under, snapping the stalks and pulling them out into the sun. For a second she feared they would wilt again, but they didn't.

"True... but Naruto told me something rather disturbing about you yesterday, Loor."

Loor felt a hot jolt of betrayal run up her spine. She tried not to let it show, still calmly pulling out her blooms. There were five in all. Three vibrant red, one navy blue, and one soft purple. The blooms were large and heavy, built on stiff stalks. She was sure they grew near water so the plant had all it needed to support the large flowers.

"He didn't mean to, mind you. I just started questioning him about your trip with Jiraiya, and it slipped out. Don't blame him, I tend to be a very prying person." He shook his head. "So... you saw Gaara."

Loor took a deep breath. She lost her anger for Naruto and gained a rage for Kakashi. It was none of his business.

"And his demon... gave you a little parting gift."

"What do you care?" She asked through clenched teeth. "I'm... _she's_ not causing any trouble."

"I'm more worried for you than any damage your new beast might cause." His voice was even and calm, which did something to null her rage, but not much. "Naruto is a lucky case, but Gaara is more of the poster child for people bearing demons. Their sanity usually isn't long for this world... but more than that, I fear you might become a target."

She turned her head to look at him. "A target?"

"You met the Akatsuki, didn't you? They're looking for people bearing demons... they want the chakra they're made out of for... something. Whatever it is, it can't be good. If and when they find out Shukaku is incomplete... they'll go looking for the missing piece, which is in you."

Her blood ran with cold. That was a scary thought. Itachi and Kisame were way out of her league, and as far as she knew there were several more in the organization they were part of. If there were a whole bunch of those type of shinobi after her, she wouldn't stand a chance. "What do you suggest I do?"

"Me?" He sounded surprised that she wanted his thoughts. "Avoid showing demonic power at all costs. You never know when they're watching. Aside from that... they don't know about where you're from. My advice is to run away as soon as you can, and never look back."

She was silent; his cue to leave her alone.

She stood up with her flowers and her coat.

"Run away?" She asked herself softly. "You want me to run away?" She shook her head, walking towards the river. She stood on the sandy bank, looking to her reflection in the water. "No... I never run away. Never. You hear me?" She turned towards the clearing, roaring at no one. "I DON'T RUN AWAY!"

She panted, blinking away tears. The clearing was empty. She was alone, yelling at someone who wasn't in front of her.

That's because she was yelling at herself.

She headed for her apartment, to set up the flowers. After that, she'd go to the hospital to talk to Lee.

* * *

"Konohamaru? The honorable grandson?"

"He lost that title when the Hokage died, Lee. Either way, Sarutobi was all the family he had left. The kid is living alone."

"So?"

"Don't you find that at least a little disturbing? He's seven."

"He is old enough to be in the shinobi program, he is old enough to fend for himself. I did the same, Loor."

"But... didn't you wish someone was there to be there for you, and cook meals, and all that other stuff? Didn't you want family?"

"... We do not always need what we want. Gai was there when I truly needed support, but I did not need to live with him."

"But you had someone! And if he had offered, would you have lived with him?"

"In a heartbeat."

"Well... I wanna offer to Kony. Call me soft, but after having my parents backing me every step of the way when I was a kid, I can't stand someone else not having it."

"Loor... there are many words I would use to describe you. Soft is not one of them. Do what you see fit. You have my approval."

"Thank you! I could kiss you."

"I would not mind."

"Keh... just a saying Lee."

"I know. So... what happened with Neji?"

"He's currently in the hospital."

"Wow..."

"Yeah. I know. Thing is... I don't think I managed it on my own power."

"What do you mean, Loor?"

"I blacked out near the end of the fight. I have no memory. I had to ask him about the outcome. Either Lyra was involved, which I find unlikely because she told me she can't take me over, or he somehow teased me into using my curse. Either way, it's bad. I didn't try squeezing it out of him though. I know the possibilities, and I know the outcome. No need to make him relive his loss."

"You have become rather kind to him."

"Not exactly. I just understand his pride. It's fun to irritate him, but I don't wanna make him feel shitty. It's all fun and games till someone losses an eye, you get what I mean?"

"...but, he did not lose an eye."

"Lee, I need to talk to you about the sayings where I'm from, or we're not going to see eye to eye on a lot of my humor."

"Heh, yes sensei."

* * *

I imagine Lee doesn't understand a lot of the humorous American sayings and slang... oh well. He has a good teacher. Heh.

**I don't own it.**

~Loor


	66. Match Maker

**Markings- Middle Ground  
****Chapter Sixty Six- Match Maker**

Loor beat both Sakura and Sasuke to her clearing. She had brought Ryu with her, every bit as prepared as she had told her 'students' to be for this little bit of training. She smiled at all of the flowers in bloom, though she was aware that many of them would be trampled. She was okay with that though, she had harvested what she wanted.

Sasuke was the first to arrive. From where Loor stood at the river bank, he entered from the left of the clearing. He must have been out in the woods already, because if he had come from the village he would have arrived from the right of the clearing. He most definitely looked ready for a fight. He had his weapon's pouch with him and an extra equipment pouch clipped onto the back of his pants. She had no idea what he would keep in it, but she had to assume he was packing some shinobi type heat.

"You made it." Loor said with a smirk.

"Of course I did." He snorted back at her. "Now what are we doing?"

She grinned at him. "Patience. We're still waiting for someone."

He gave her a look. "You didn't say anything about someone else."

She giggled. "Don't tell me you're jealous. If we're all going to play nicely, you must learn to share."

"Now who's egotistical?" He spat in response.

A moment later, Sakura walked into the clearing from the right. First she saw Loor, and then she saw Sasuke.

"What the...?" She snapped a look at Loor. "You didn't tell me he was going to be here!"

Loor rolled her eyes. "Ah, you people just don't appreciate surprises, do you?" She pulled Ryu free from her back, still smirking. "The point of this little practice I invited you two here for is a little something I like to call 'Free for all.' The whole point is to fight without teaming up."

"Huh?" Sakura asked. "And what kind of situation would that be used for?"

"One with a third party." Sasuke said before Loor could. "We never train for something like that. We always train for one on one fighting, or teams, but we never spar with three parties."

"That's a problem, isn't it?" Loor questioned. "It's not just good guys and bad guys out there. There are people with their own agenda and stuff like that. You never know when three forces are going to collide, all with a reason to kill the other two parties, and not to trust the other two parties long enough to form a truce, destroy one, and face off." She giggled, looking around. "So... let's do a little role playing, shall we?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but Sakura actually looked interested. Not too thrilled about fighting against Sasuke, but interested in the concept.

"So..." Loor was thinking. "I'll be some rich bitch will ill gotten money. Sakura, you'll be a bounty hunter looking for a pretty price that can be won off my head, and Sasuke will be some outlaw runaway looking to rob me of my money."

"But that puts us both against you." Sasuke pointed out, not looking impressed with being a step above a bandit.

"Lemme finish, buddy boy. Sakura, you're a bounty hunter and Sasuke's a well known thief. If you bring him in, dead or alive, it means easy living for the rest of your life. Not to mention he's trying to steal your first catch, which would be me." She then turned to Sasuke. "Of course, you're trying to save your own skin while bringing in your own prize, but if you killed a renowned bounty hunter like Sakura, that would get you a lot of credit in the bingo book. And of course, I'm just trying to save my ass, but I don't mind cutting a few throats to ensure my safety."

The two stared at her for a moment.

"What, did I miss someone? I thought I gave us all a reason to kill each other."

"Did you come up with that off the top of your head?" Sakura asked.

"Uh... yeah. Why?"

Sasuke snickered. "Not bad. It actually sounds like a half likely situation."

Loor grinned. She'd won a complement. Not a huge one, but she'd take what she could get.

"Ready..." Loor announced, the three of them crouching into battle stance.

Sakura glanced at Sasuke, and Loor heard the girl whimper.

She'd get over that one real quick.

"GO!"

Loor stood the defensive, but Sasuke went straight for her, as did Sakura. She was between the two of them, but she faced Sasuke while leaving Sakura to her back. Ryu had two blades, and Sasuke demanded more attention. The guy was fast, and hadn't gotten burned out during drills that day. He packed more punch than Neji did, and that was a freaky thing.

Sakura did nothing. Loor noticed this, that she sensed no movement at her back. The girl had pretty much gone and hidden there.

Oh, Loor would have none of that. She dove aside from Sasuke's next bout, and the boy passed from Loor to the pink haired girl.

Sakura squealed, holding up her arms to block him, but he changed gears to go at her gut and hit her hard. She flew, but he dashed behind her and dished a kick to her back to make her go the other direction. She landed flat on her face, rolling slightly. She stood slowly, but Sasuke was right on top of her.

Loor was watching, grinning. It was only a matter of time. Sakura would have to hit back eventually. Sasuke was doing what Loor expected of him in the situation she'd presented. He would find the weakest adversary, take them out, and then turn upon the second person. Loor's own RP personality had a reason to stick around for the fight, to finish off whoever survived, but she had no reason to help one of her would be killers slaughter the other one. She'd watch, and deal with the surviver.

For now, Sasuke would try and take out Sakura because she wouldn't fight back.

If she wanted to get through this, she'd have to break her pathetic conditioning and strike him. She'd have to show that she had a fighting instinct somewhere in her body.

She'd have to show the strength she'd been hiding all time, trying to be the perfect girl.

Sasuke and Sakura had stood off for the moment, but Sakura looked near tears. "S-S-Sasuke!!" She cried indignantly. "Why?"

"You're weaker." He said simply. "I take care of you, and have the second target to myself." He dove forward, and she twisted into a back hand spring to get out of the way and then diving under him and the flying kick he had launched himself into.

"I'm not weak!" She yelped at him, panting. Her jade eyes were wide with horror, but they seemed to be picking up a slight tint of rage.

He snorted, hot after her and kicking her upside the head. "Prove it!"

Loor winced. That had to hurt. She was half tempted to start providing commentary.

A second later, Sakura was in Sasuke's face, and her fist was in his stomach.

She looked pissed.

Sasuke hadn't been expecting the sudden strike, and stepped back to steady himself. He looked truly shocked that Sakura had hit him.

Loor could have jumped up and down cheering as Sakura proceeded to open up a serious can of whoop ass. Of course, Sasuke was more than boned up to the challenge, but he was still recovering from shock. Sakura attacking him obviously went against everything he thought she was capable of. And yet here she was, roaring and lashing out, making him dodge around her while taking the occasional hit now and then.

In the flurry of action, Loor thought she caught a smile on Sasuke's face.

That when she decided to step into the fight, dropping between the two with Ryu spinning like a helicopter blade over her head while ducking slightly to put the blades at a lethal hight. Of course the two others jumped back, looked at her with shock, and squared off with the extra person in the fight. It became a triangle, each trying to keep the other two where they could see them. Loor had Ryu ready, Sasuke drew a few kunai knives, and Sakura brought up several shurukin between her fingers.

Silence came, only a slight breeze and the rustling of the trees slicing through it.

Loor was calculating her odds of taking them both head on, but knew that they both had something up their sleeve. Sasuke was strong, but he was also good at ninjutsu; stuff like blowing fire. He was also a fast little SOB. Sakura was probably fighting seriously for the first time in her life, but Loor was sure she had something too. She was good at thinking, and smart. Sakura would come up with something.

Taking them head on would never work.

Sasuke made the first move, diving for Loor. She glanced at Sakura, who had charged for Sasuke, and jumped over Sasuke without looking back at him, landing and throwing Ryu forward to catch Sakura going full speed. The pink haired girl grabbed Loor's weapon and used it as a pivot point, swinging under her and sliding between Loor's planted feet.

Loor turned in shock just in time for Sakura to deck her in the face. _Ye-ow! _Sakura's whole body was extended, one fist in Loor's face, the other hand that was laden with shurukin was out for balance, one foot on the ground, and the other in Sasuke's chest, who had turned around to get the girls back in his sight.

Just as quickly as she had hit both of them, she collected on her single foot and jumped away.

Loor tried to track her, but Sasuke was right there brandishing a kunai forward. She knocked the blade away, yelping, taking a step back and throwing herself into a quick spin without thinking, Ryu going from one hand to the other to round her body at the same time, a powerful strike coming across Sasuke's torso as she finished the round, the weapon returning to the original hand.

A weight suddenly landed on Loor's shoulders. It was Sakura, no doubt, and Loor felt the prick of a sharp object against her neck. Without thinking, Loor thrashed to try and get her off, but the girl was using chakra to stay stuck to her shoulders. All she managed to do was fall down.

Sakura mimed moving the shirukin's sharp point across her neck in what would have been a killing move. "You're out." The pink haired wonder stated while standing up. "Which leaves you!"

Loor rolled to the edge of the clearing as the two dove at each other. Loor had a secret smile going on. This was better than she could have hoped for! Not only had Sakura broken her conditioning, but Sasuke seemed to be enjoying this. He actually looked like he was having fun.

Maybe Sakura would get her wish after all. Sasuke seemed to be okay with her as long as she was being herself.

The rest of the fight was fast and furious. Sasuke was fast, but where he could charge he couldn't stop on a dime. That was the difference between speed and agility, and Sakura was agile. She wasn't as quick as him, but she was in control. Sasuke was strong, but she was tough. She'd take a few hits before crying out, which meant she could ignore pain.

Good skill.

Most of it was blurred, as Loor's eyes couldn't keep up with shinobi speed unless she was right in the middle of it, but it eventually came down to Sasuke finally using two of his kunai. He and Sakura went into a stand off and he tossed the two blades at her. At first it looked like he had thrown really wide and missed completely, but he hadn't been planning to hit her with the blades. A moment later, Loor realized there was a wire tied between the two weapons. Sakura got hit by the wire and dragged back to a tree and pinned to it as the two kunai caught and rounded both the tree and her struggling body.

She was trapped, pinned from the knees to the shoulders, and Sasuke had won.

"Loor." Sasuke called. "Help me get her free?"

Loor quickly got to her feet, running over. She noted that the two were peppered with cuts and bruises. They must have really been moving fast for all this stuff to have happened. The best part is it wasn't just Sakura, Sasuke was cut up too. Not as much, but he wasn't going home without limping just a little bit.

They pulled the two kunai loose and freed Sakura from the tree. She nodded at the two of them, smiling a bit herself. She wasn't all pissy about losing, but one could tell that she wanted to win if this exercise was ever called again.

Once Sakura was free, Loor went back to the river bank and sat down.

"Hey, Loor, aren't you going home?" Sakura asked.

"Hm?" Loor questioned in return, looking up. "No. I'm usually out here all night. It's kinda my thing."

"Oh..." Sakura nodded. "Well, I gotta get home. Mom doesn't know that I'm out."

Sasuke shrugged. He had no one to go home to.

Loor stared off into the river as the two left. Once they did, she turned to look at what had happened to the clearing.

Almost all the blooms had been knocked over, trampled, and smashed. Only a few still stood, and Loor dutifully got up and picked those last few. There were eleven survivors total, and Loor held them as if they were dear to her.

She was reminded of her promise to give up on Gaara once the flowers in her home wilted. Funny, that she was so hell bent on straightening things out between Sakura and Sasuke when she knew how much it sucked when things didn't work out. Did she wish that on Sakura? The girl probably still thought she was in love with Sasuke, but at least now she had a chance to test it. In that one fight, it was obvious that Sasuke was having fun.

This new Sakura, the one that was strong enough to hold her own, was his kind of girl. He'd probably talk to her now...

But what if something happened to Sasuke? Plus, his vendetta to get strong and kill his brother still loomed. What if he just took off?

That would leave Sakura where Loor was. Broken and alone.

Loor now regretted her match-maker nature. She didn't wish what she was going through on anyone. It was terrible. Beyond that.

She moved to return to the apartment. She had to add the new flowers to the others.

Her walk was quiet, and she crossed paths with no one seeing as Sakura and Sasuke had taken the beaten path away from the clearing where as Loor opted for bush whacking. She didn't take this time to think. Rather, she took the time to clear her brain of everything. She didn't let thoughts process, just trying to go blank and relax.

She had a month ahead of her. A month where she and Fury would make their decision about staying or going home, a month before Lee would have his surgery. Loor got a strange feeling from these two events lining up, and feared other events would do the same.

She snorted, clearing her mind of the gathering thoughts like a windshield wiper clears away rain. She focused upon her breathing, and her steps, and the sweet smell of the flowers in her arms.

She found herself out of the woods, in the streets of Konoha, and under the waning moon.

Her mind was on her feet. Left, right, left, right, left, right....

She realized she'd stopped walking, and looked around. She heard another set of steps, but they were quiet, and small.

Eventually she peaked around the corner, and sighed at what she saw.

She saw Konohamaru. The boy was alone, walking the streets. He held a flower, and seemed to know exactly where he was going.

Loor weighed curiosity over concern, but the two feelings were pushing her to do the same thing, so she followed him.

In following him she found that the flower he held was much like the ones she was holding. Why did he have a grave flower, and where was he taking it?

He was heading back for the woods, but a different section than where Loor had been. He wasn't going very deep in either. Loor only followed him for about half an hour, and most of that was getting through the village. Out in the woods, he stopped in a clearing that seemed devoted to a strange statuette.

It was a large diamond shaped stone, dark in color. Even in the dim moonlight, Loor could tell that there was writing all over it, but she would never know what it all said. Konohamaru was scarcely taller than it, and when he got to it he bowed his head and put the flower in the wide stone base it was set in.

Loor held very still, standing in the woods yet, watching him as he seemed to pray. His head was bowed and his hands were together, and she felt moved. Whatever he was praying for, it was important enough for him to sneak out in the middle of the night. Not that he was living with any adults that would stop him.

Eventually his hands dropped, but he stood there still. Loor feared he'd start crying, and felt it was time to come out of the trees. She approached him quietly, and came to stand next to him. Without thinking, she dropped the flowers in her arms onto the the flower he had deposited.

He looked up in shock, looking up at her.

"_K-Kaa-san!"_ He said, surprised.

She sat down, next to him, to be on his level.

"_Kaa-san..._ what are you doing out here?"

"Following you." She answered truthfully. "What are you doing out here?"

"I... I was..." He trailed off. "I was praying for the old man."

"Your grandpa?" She questioned.

He nodded.

"What is this statue?"

"It's a monument. There was this huge war about thirteen years ago.." Konohamaru trailed off. "Lots of people died, and they put the names of the people who were KIA on this rock."

Loor nodded. Sarutobi's name wasn't on this stone, but he was most definitely killed in action. Konohamaru had picked the right place to morn.

"It's late, Konohamaru." Loor mentioned. "Don't you have school tomorrow?"

"Yeah..." He nodded, but he didn't move.

"Kony, do you like living alone?"

"Eh?" He looked at her. "Of course I do! No one tells me what to do, I can eat whatever I want, have friends over whenever, and everything adults would never let you do! I can stay up late, and no one ever yells at me."

She frowned slightly, nodding. "I see."

"Why did you wanna know?" He was curious now about the unhappy look on her face. "Something wrong?"

"Where I'm from, kids don't live alone." She said. "It's not that it's frowned upon, it's just not allowed. People think that kids need a mom or a dad at the least to be there for them. I grew up that way..." She looked at him, her eyes sad. "So when I heard about you living alone, I thought I'd take you in. But if you're happy with the way things are, I'll leave you be."

He stared at her, his mouth actually coming a little open in shock. He blinked a few times, trying to get the idea through his head. "Whoa, you were gonna... like, adopt me?"

"More like foster, but either way you wanna look at it."

"Oh..." He shook away his shocked look, shrugging like he didn't care. "Well... uh... not to say that having someone around doesn't have it's perks. I mean, I could just spend the night with you now and then, right? Just to see if I like it."

Loor allowed a soft smile to her face. "Deal. How's tonight for you?"

Kony nodded, and Loor could tell he was hiding some enthusiasm. He was trying to act cool, saving his pride and all that. She got up, leading the way back to the village.

She'd played match maker for two of the people she worked with and taken on a kid in the same 24 hours.

She had to wonder how interesting things were going to get at the end of the month.

* * *

"Wow... that's weird for her to suddenly switch like that."

"Tell me about it. Just when we're on the same side, she decides that she wants to fight for the point I abandoned. I swear, I think Loor just likes arguing with me."

"No, I think she just got passionate about something, Fury."

"Passionate about what? Didn't she have enough to be passionate about when Gaara was around? What changes her mind? A kid! A freakin kid! Loor is the person who's told me time and again that she'll never become a mom, and she changes her mind over a kid? Yeah right!"

"Fury..."

"Don't give me that look, Kiba. You know she's gotta have another motive. She always does."

"Or maybe she's just confused. It's not like our age is easy or anything. I mean... remember how you were acting a few weeks ago?"

"That's different. I was being effected by a freaky curse mark."

"And she's being effected by a freaky half demon, by what you tell me. It's not different between you. You're dealing with stuff, plus teenager-ism."

"Yeah, well, she could handle it better!"

"You can't expect that of her."

"... yeah... I know. I know. I just wish I could lean on her a little more."

"Yeah, well, I bet she wishes she could lean on you every now and then."

"Heh, guess you're right. Must be tough, being the leader."

"The alpha's job is never easy, and no one wants it."

"Yeah, no one except you!"

"Hey, don't go accusing me of stuff. I just like being the best."

"Yeah, I remember you and the others fighting over the Hokage hat."

"And I won that fight!"

"Yeah right, I caught the hat!"

"But you weren't playing!"

"I still won."

"Fine... this time."

* * *

I like Fury and Kiba together... even though Fury now hates Naruto and she and I aren't on speaking terms anymore. I was tempted to kill her character off in revenge, but I think I'll keep working with her. Even if I can't talk to the person, I can't destroy the story just cause I'm upset with her.

This is the end of this update. See you punks next time.

By the way, old VoW fans, a VoW related Christmas special is going up sometime soon-ish! Keep an eye out for it in the near future.

**No ownage.**

~Loor

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!


	67. Success

**Markings- Middle Ground  
****Chapter Sixty Seven- Success**

A month had passed.

Not to say nothing interesting had happened in that month, simply that it had come and gone.

But today was special.

Loor woke slowly the way she usually did these days; with an eight year old kid sleeping at the other end of the bed. She lifted her head, her biological clock getting her up with the sun, and looked down to see Kony snoozing at the other end of the bed with his own blanket and pillow.

She yawned, stretching. Kony didn't full on live with her, he just spent the night eight nights out of ten. Loor didn't play full on mom either. If he was there, she'd feed him. If he wanted her to, she'd walk with him towards the academy in the mornings while she went to the hospital to visit Lee. If he asked really nicely, she'd let him sleep on her side of the bed. She didn't really bother with trying to control when he went to sleep or what junk he decided to eat at random times. Instead, she'd just advise. She wouldn't command him to go to bed, she'd warn him that if he didn't sleep he'd feel shitty in the morning. He'd ignore her, but the major 'I told ya so' in the morning usually did the trick.

This morning was a lot like most others. She reached over with her foot, grabbed his hair with her toes, and started shaking his head. "C'mon shorty, up."

Like most mornings, he batted her foot away and rolled over, groaning into his pillow.

Loor smirked, getting up out of bed and grabbing her pants and coat off of the floor. "Fine, I get the bathroom first then."

Kony waved her off, mumbling something into his pillow.

She left the room, but she hadn't made it half way across the kitchen area before the child was darting out of the room, suddenly realizing that he needed to pee. Badly.

Loor had a bad habit of taking her time when she got the bathroom first. But since he had decided to get up, she helped herself to a chair while waiting for the bathroom to open up. She folded her clothes across her lap and glanced to the center of the table next to her.

On the table, put in a cup since she couldn't find a vase, were the flowers she'd picked. They still looked fresh, like they did every morning. Still, she didn't take things at first glance. She reached out and brought the cup to the edge of the table to closely inspect the blossoms.

The smelled sweet. They looked vibrant.

She sighed. One more day.

The morning went on. Kony came out of the bathroom and Loor took her turn before making something to eat for the both of them and pushing the kid off for the day. He didn't come home after school, and she didn't ask him to. He usually ran around the village with his friends playing tag, or hide and seek, or ninja, which was kinda a mix of the two. She'd play with them on occasion, but only when asked to, and then Naruto was usually involved too.

Loor made sure to wait before she left the apartment. Konohamaru threw a fit when she was walking behind him when he didn't ask her to keep him company. In that time she put herself through a quick shower, probably the first one of the week. Between training, worrying about Kony, and making midnight runs while the kid wasn't around, she didn't think much on bathing.

After that, she left the apartment and started heading towards the hospital, deep in thought.

Two things were happening today that Loor was eager for. One was that Naruto's team, who had been gone for the last week on a mission, was finally coming back. She wanted to see those guys.

The other thing was that Lee was having his surgery.

Tsunade had promised the operation to be nice and early, so Loor worried that he could already be in surgery. She wanted to see him before he went under the knife, seeing as there was a fair chance he was going to die. She hated to think of it as her parting words to him, but there was no fighting that with the risk of the operation.

She had to make those words good ones. She and Lee had spent a lot of time together in the last month. He had started teaching her the written language of the area, so Loor wasn't so clueless while wondering Konoha. In return, Loor told him about her world. He was most interested in the school, and how they taught so many children in the same place when small classes of shinobi candidates tended to get unruly.

She'd grown rather attached to him.

When she got to the hospital, she asked about him and found out he wasn't in surgery for a little while longer, and quickly got permission to visit him. He had been moved to a pre-op room on the first floor, and she walked fast to get there.

The pre-op room was simple. It was one room of many along a hall, divided off not by doors and walls but by white curtains. Behind one of these curtains was Lee, lying on one of those hospital beds with wheels. Loor had no idea what it was called, and didn't care. They had him dressed in a robe that looked like paper, but she was sure it was some sterile material. They'd also put a hair net on him that matched his paper robe.

He looked awful silly in that get-up, but she didn't laugh. No way.

He was awake, and smiled when she entered the curtained off room. "I did not think you would make it."

She chuckled, pulling up a chair from the corner of the room and sitting next to him. "You think I'd sleep in? Try again!"

He chuckled at her, reaching over for her hand. She gave it to him without thinking, giving him a quick squeeze. They made eye contact, and she would see how scared he was. He was afraid he wasn't going to come out of this alive.

She didn't blame him. Sixty-forty odds were better than fifty-fifty, but not by much.

"How is Konohamaru doing?" Lee asked in the silence.

"He's alright. Though I've been meaning to teach him about the screaming peanut butter."

He blinked several times. "The what...?"

"I'll tell ya about it later." She assured. "It's something my mom did for me when I was a kid. I just gotta go and find a new jar of peanut butter first."

He frowned, his eyes dropping. Loor was sure he was haunted by the grim thought that there might not be a later for him.

"Lee..." She used a softer voice, dropping out of her usually brash tone. She leaned forward in her chair, putting her free hand on the side of his face. "You're gonna make it. C'mon, we talked about this. A big piece of it is believing in yourself." She took a smile. "Be confident in yourself, and half the battle's fought."

He looked at her, and gave a nod while trying to smile.

She leaned down, gently kissing his cheek. "Good luck."

Two seconds later, the curtain was swept back for four people to enter the room. One was none other than Tsunade-sama herself, dressed in a doctor's get-up with the face mask and everything. She was ready for surgery. There were two nurses as well, decked out in the same garb.

The last person was Gai-sensei.

"Sensei!" Lee yelped in surprise, sitting up quickly as Loor turned to look at the incoming group.

"Didn't think I'd let you off to surgery without wishing you good luck, did you?" Gai questioned. Loor backed her chair off as Gai walked over.

The following few seconds, Gai and Lee spoke quietly. Loor didn't even try to strain and hear what was said, she knew that if it was coming from Gai it was exactly what Lee needed to hear. She stared on the scene, and smiled softly. They may not have been related, but it most definitely looked like father and son.

But it had to be intense, because they were both tearing up. Gai looked proud, and Lee looked confident, but the words they traded put them both near sobbing.

Eventually, Gai stood up and looked at Tsunade, nodding.

He was ready.

Tsunade nodded and looked to Loor. "Follow us. There's a waiting area right outside the operating room. Once we're done and we move him to the recovery ward, you can stay with him."

Loor nodded, smiling.

Tsunade looked confident too. That was a good sign.

Loor followed them to the waiting area, which was a short but wide hall before the doors to the room. There were chairs at either side of the hall, and Loor took one as they wheeled Lee and his bed into the operating room.

Tsunade said that this was a lengthly surgery, which was what made it dangerous. The spine itself was going to be exposed for upwards of an hour while Tsuande played hide and seek, looking for bone shards that had been blasted there when Gaara crushed Lee's left side.

God, how long ago had that been? A decade?

More like four months.

Loor leaned her head back, sighing to herself. Tomorrow was going to be a big day too.

Tomorrow, she and Fury would meet with Tsunade and decide whether or not they were going home. Over time spent with Naruto's team, and Konohamaru, Loor felt like leaving would be like lopping off an arm. Still, she had taken time to think. Thinking was something she was generally good at.

Logic said they were going home. Logic said that Fury was in danger, and there was less of it back at home where a kidnapper would be noticed skulking about at night. Logic said _she_ was in danger thanks to Shukaku, and that the Akatsuki wouldn't find her back at home. Logic said that being safe was the smart thing to do.

But her gut told her to fight the danger. Her gut told her that Fury was strong, and lived with an equally strong person. Her gut told her that she never ran away from a fight, and she had to protect Gaara and Naruto from the Akatsuki anyway. Her gut said that fighting was the only way to win.

Going between logic and her gut, her head started to hurt and her stomach felt sick. She didn't know which way to go with her two main personality points in direct conflict; between being smart and being a fighter who takes everything head on.

And her attachments didn't help. She'd miss Lee for sure, and Naruto and everyone else, but she'd feel terrible for dropping Kony on his butt after taking him in. Quietly she had cursed herself for taking him in the first place, but she couldn't just stand aside in that situation. It was impossible for her. When she saw something wrong, she had to act.

There were just people in the world like that. Loor had met a few like her, like Kony's teacher. Of course in walking the kid to school now and then she'd met the teacher, Iruka, and established herself as Konohamaru's guardian for the time being. Iruka would check in now and then, just to make sure she was doing an okay job at being a junior parent.

Iruka had mentioned that he had been concerned about Kony living on his own, and was happy that someone did something. He would have been more pleased if it had been an adult, but something was better than nothing.

Now that Loor thought of that, she got an idea. She blinked a few times as it crossed her mind, and she wondered why she hadn't thought of it before.

She glanced towards the doors to the operating room, biting her lip. She couldn't take long. Lee would be done in an hour, and she _had_ to be there when it was over or she'd never forgive herself. She got up, stared at the doors for a moment more, and turned to leave.

She jogged in the hospital, but once she was outside she went into a sprint. She knew the way to the school, and it honestly wasn't very far from the hospital. She assumed that was because students ended up hurting each other a lot when they made their first attempts at ninja tools and jutsu.

Still, she didn't run the streets these days if she didn't have to. Naruto had taken the time to teach her a very important shinobi skill when transversing the village two weeks ago, before his team left.

Roof hopping.

It was a dangerous business if you fell, but Loor was pretty good at not falling. Using chakra concentration to get to the roofs, getting to any destination in the village was generally faster when you traveled as the crow flew.

Loor was at the school in no time, hardly winded.

Yeah, shinobi training had its perks.

She entered the small building quietly, noting the empty hall that ran down the center of the place. There were classes to either side with a set of windows at the end of the hall, letting light in. She stepped quietly, looking left and right into the various rooms. The classes were by age, but a teacher stuck with one group of students till they became genin. Iruka was teaching the new class because his old class had graduated. Other teachers were teaching other ages.

The place felt like a school, but it also felt like a military building where they were cultivating the warriors of the future. In fact, they were.

Loor came upon Iruka's room, half way down the hall. She didn't want to walk into the class and embarrass Kony, so she stood outside of the sliding door, listening. For the moment she could hear Iruka talking, which meant he was doing the instructor thing. She hoped he'd pass out a worksheet or something soon, so she wouldn't feel really rude for calling him out.

She knew what work time sounded like. The kids would start chatting while working on whatever, just like at home.

Thankfully, she heard that rather quickly. Iruka shut up and the kids started talking. At that time, she reached over and knocked twice on the door to make sure she'd be heard. By the cut out of noise, she knew she got some of the kids' attention, but she was hoping to get the teacher to open the door.

He did. A moment later the door slid open and Iruka poked his head out, looking up and down the hall. When his eyes landed on Loor she put a finger to her lips to signify that she didn't want the kids to know she was here.

He nodded, came out of the room, and shut the door. "Do you have a good reason for this?" He asked.

Iruka was a taller guy with dark tan skin. He wasn't black, but he wasn't white. He wore his dark hair in a high tail that stuck up stiffly, displayed his headband clearly on his forehead, and had a huge scar across his nose. Loor thought about asking how he got it, but didn't bother. He was a jonin as far as Loor knew, and wore the black pants and black turtle neck that seemed to be uniform with the green chunnin vest over it.

"Of course I do." She answered, taking a step away from the door. She wouldn't put it past the kids to be listening at the door. "It's about Konohamaru."

Iruka softened, his face turning to worry. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah. I might be skipping town soon. Like... really soon. I can't drop him on his rear, it's not good for him. He needs a new place to stay, and it's not with me."

He looked a little surprised. "Where are you going?"

"Home." She answered. "Fury and I have been here for almost half a year. Her family has no idea what happened to us, and the decision on whether we're leaving or not will be made tomorrow."

"What about your family?"

She shook her head, sighing. "They're gone, Iruka. It's kinda why I relate to Konohamaru. I know that he might not want anyone, but he needs someone."

"So who?" He asked. "Why are you bringing this to me?"

"Because," She smirked. "I think you're the perfect candidate."

"Are you insane? I'm his teacher."

"He trusts you, along with the rest of the class. C'mon Iruka, if I hadn't taken him in first you would have and we both know it. I'm not asking you to just drop all this on him, just talk to him. After class today, or something. Just pull him aside and mention he might be better off living with an adult. Invite him to dinner at your place, or to spend the night over."

He looked thoughtful, thinking for a long while. Loor didn't prod him, she just waited.

"It's not that I don't want to take him in... goodness knows he needs someone," He sighed. "But I just don't know if I'm the right guy to play father to him."

"Don't think of it as playing father." She smiled brightly. "Think of it as giving him a place to sleep and providing a meal when he wants one. Just think of yourself as a provider, and the rest comes naturally."

"What makes you say that?"

"Cause, providing for someone who needs it is a natural thing." She turned to go, still smiling. "We all have a little parenting instinct, somewhere. It's the natural order of things."

He stared as she walked off, and didn't say anything till she was nearly to the door.

"Loor!" He called, taking a few steps after her.

She looked back, her raised eyebrow questioning.

"Thank you."

She nodded, gave a thumbs-up, and left.

* * *

She had gotten back to the hospital with time to spare. Nothing had changed outside of Lee's operating room, except that Gai was out there now. Of course, he had no part in the operation, he had probably just been allowed to watch the beginning of it.

Loor walked back into the waiting area, gave Gai a quick reassuring hand on the shoulder, and sat down. Despite his usually confident demeanor, he looked worried and a little sick.

After a few moments of silence, Gai spoke.

"Nasty business, surgery." He muttered.

She looked up. "How much did they let you see?"

"The main incision." He lifted his head from staring at his knees. He tried to show his usually glowing smile, but his face was a little too green for the illusion to work. "After all the nasty fights I've seen, I thought I'd be able to stomach it... but seeing Lee get sliced like that..." He visibly shivered in disgust. His eyes were also glassy, as if he had been crying.

Loor looked towards the doors. "Don't suppose she'd let me watch, huh?"

"No. I was only allowed because I insisted for hours on end."

The silence came back, and Loor got up and started pacing. She couldn't sit still with the tension in the air. No, she had to walk up and down the area like an agitated cat. Gai didn't speak, he just dropped his head again. Loor expected that he was trying not to ralph at his own memories.

Her heart hoped for the best, but her mind expected the worst.

"What'll you do if he doesn't make it?" Loor finally asked, addressing the gruesome thought that was hanging in the air.

"I promised him..." Gai said softly. "If he dies, I die with him."

Loor blinked, staring at him. She stopped pacing. "You... you're serious?"

He nodded, not looking up. "Always. I devoted my life to Lee when he became a shinobi. Before. In the academy, he was the bottom of his class but he was trying the hardest of all of them. His body just wasn't made for it, but his mind was. Kakashi brought him to my attention, the kid that got to school early every morning, stayed late every day, and still left in the dust by those around him."

"He was determined. Like you."

"And like you, Loor." Gai finally managed a smile, reminded of why his passions existed. "I followed him, and found he was training at night too. Doing drills, working out constantly, setting goals. Every time he didn't meet one, he'd punish himself with a harder goal. He had a constant zest that couldn't be diminished. I took him under my wing then."

"He must have been overjoyed when you ended up as his sensei." Loor smiled softly, looking to the door again. It had been more than an hour since they'd gone in. She was already worried, but now she was anxious. "He'll make it." She said, as if she could make herself believe it by saying it.

"What will you do?"

She glanced at him. "Hm?"

"If he doesn't make it." Gai said. "What will you do?"

She frowned. Honestly, she had no idea. She wanted to say she would be sad, that she would probably break down for a while, but even saying that sounded rather puny against his vow to die with his student. Even beyond that, she had already proved that she wasn't good at dealing with loss.

"I'll probably ignore it." She admitted. "Like when I lost my family. It hurts less."

"So you'd just go on with life, and avoid it?" He shook his head. "You are like Lee and myself in many ways, Loor, but you will find that freedom leads to strength. Lee and I are free with our emotions, so they can't drag us down."

"Drag you down?" She snorted. "They don't drag me down. All they do is make me hurt when I think about all the shit that's happened. I face reality, but I don't need to re-live and cry about everything to feel free."

He didn't say anything more, and she went to her chair and plopped down in it like an angry teenager, which was in fact what she was.

The silence stretched on, lasting for the next half hour. Loor found herself counting seconds, and getting more worried by the moment. She feared that Tsunade would come out, shaking her head sadly. Or maybe they'd wheel the corpse right past them. Or maybe Tsuande would send a nurse because Loor was libel to punch whoever was bearing the bad news.

She tried to stop thinking like that.

"He will make it." She muttered out loud, again.

"I know." He answered.

That caused a small smile to come to her face. Gai sounded more confident.

"How do you know?" She questioned, her tone brighter.

"Tsunade said that if he was going to die, he'd die within an hour and some. If he's still alive now, he'll make it through."

An instant later, the doors opened. Tsunade stepped out, leading the wheeled bed that had Lee's person on it.

Loor took a step forward, looking intensely at him. Was he out of it, or was he dead?

She looked at Tsunade, and the woman smiled and nodded.

Gai crumpled and cried with joy.

Success.

* * *

Yeah, time-skip. Did you think I'd cover the whole month of stuff happening? Heh, I think not! Jeez, now I get to get to the fun stuff!

**I don't own Naruto.**

See you next time punks.

~Loor


	68. I Want To Fight You Too

**Markings- Middle Ground  
****Chapter Sixty Eight- I Want to Fight You Too**

The recovery wing was different from the normal hospital rooms. It was a big, wide-open room with curtains dividing the space between eight beds and a walk space down the middle. On that morning, Lee was the only one holding a bed, but Tsunade drew the curtains while speaking with Loor and Gai, who were hovering over him with ill hidden smiles.

"He did very well." Tsunade said while pulling the privacy curtain. "The surgery actually took longer than I expected, but everything else went perfectly."

"Why did it take so long?" Loor questioned.

"I found a bone shard lower down than the main incision we made." She explained. "It was probably responsible for any pain he felt while walking around. We had to take the cut all the way down his tail bone in order to get at it, and it got tricky."

"How long will it be till he is recovered?" Gai asked, eagerness in his voice. He wanted his student back.

"We've already healed the major incision, though he's going to have a monster scar for the rest of his life down the center of his back. Once he wakes up he'll need to stick with his physical therapy to get back up to speed. I give him two weeks to be back to taking missions, with medicine. I'll have him sleeping here for a while, where the nurses will keep a closer eye on him. That is... while he is here. I expect that he'll wanna walk around the second he wakes up."

"You're going to let him?" Loor questioned.

Tsunade actually chuckled, putting her hands on her hips. "Well, I heard this kid was like you, Loor. And you're like me. I've been hospitalized a few times, and I didn't care when they told me not to walk. I did it anyway. I know better than to limit hard headed people."

"Will he be strong enough?" Gai asked.

"Should be, though his system is probably in shock. I mean, we _did_ just dig for bone shards around his spine." Tsuande shook her head, sighing.

"Shock?" Loor questioned.

Gai fielded the question. "The body can go into shock after a major surgery, depending on the person and how sensitive they are, and how sensitive the area operated on was. When system shock happens, the person usually can't keep anything in their stomach. The internal systems stop for a while as the body figures out what happened."

"Oh..." Loor frowned. "I've never gone into shock, as far as I know."

"You've probably never had a major surgery." Tsuande said. "It's usually working around the organs that causes system shock. Have you ever been cut open before?"

"Naw..." Loor shook her head slowly. "So, how long do ya think it'll be till he wakes up?"

"Not too long. Should come around within the next half hour. Call for a nurse if he doesn't, I have other things to attend to."

With that, Tsuande turned to leave, brushing the curtain aside.

Loor looked at Gai, and smiled. "He made it." She said triumphantly.

Gai nodded. He held a smile, but his happiness was beyond words. Lee was practically a son to him, and he had survived against all the odds. At first, he reached out to Lee to rest a hand on him, but pulled it back for fear of waking him. Lee was on his side, facing Loor, as to avoid him lying on his newly healed back, with Gai on the other side of the bed.

She glanced up at him when he pulled his hand away, blinking twice, having been about to take Lee's hand to hold.

He nodded slightly. "You won't wake him up like that. I just don't want to hurt him."

She made a greatful sound before gently taking Lee's hand with her own. Gai watched the scene, and felt happy tears coming up again. She was completely adsorbed, as if she was put on this world to be his guardian angel till he woke up. She was silent, staring at him, a smile pushing up one corner of her mouth. Her eyes said everything, that this was her place. She belonged, sitting there, waiting for a dear friend to wake up. She would sit there for however long was needed.

It wasn't long.

It started with a slight stirring, and Loor contained a sound of excitement.

Lee shifted around quite a bit, flexing muscles as if to make sure they were still there. Eventually this systems check made it to his hand, and when he squeezed he found someone else's hand in his grip. That caused him to open his eyes.

Light was the first thing to make it through to him. Just light, bright and harsh. He closed his eyes for that, and opened them again after a few moments. This time, it was a bit at a time, for fear of being blinded again.

Colors were soft, and shapes were blurred, but after blinking several times he was able to make out Loor's face against the white curtain behind her. He didn't know if he smiled, but he wanted to smile for her like she smiled for him.

Finally, he asked; "Water?"

Gai sprang up from his spot to fill the request, knowing where to find cups and water. He moved quickly, brushing past the curtain and leaving Loor and Lee alone.

"You survived." She said, though it was needless. "I... I was worried for a moment there."

Lee nodded, speaking little because of his dry mouth. "Gai sensei? Did he worry?"

Loor knew how big that question was. Lee wasn't looking for his sensei to be concerned, he was wondering if Gai ever doubted him. If Gai ever thought that he wouldn't make it through.

"He acted very emotional." She answered. "But he was confident in you the whole time. He knew you'd make it."

He smiled, resting his eyes. "That is so like him."

"What are you gonna do now?" She asked. "I mean, you can't jump right back into training... but... I don't know what I mean."

"I will return to life as I knew it. Slowly, yes..." He sighed. "But I will train harder than ever once I am on my feet. I have been bested... I must return the favor and even the score."

She inwardly winced. He meant Gaara. "It's good to have goals." Was all she said.

There was silence, and Loor was almost sure he had drifted off into sleep. She still held his hand, looking upon him without knowing what else she could do. He had made it, and she felt so numb when she should have been excited and happy. She almost felt scared.

He was going to become well, and come back to the apartment. He was going to be training again, keeping tabs on her at night... and aiming for Gaara as a target to hit.

At that moment she realized that everything was going to change again.

She wasn't sure whether she was happy about it or not. Yeah, Lee would be back on his feet again. He'd be happy, but she'd also be around him more. He had already made it very clear that he didn't care if she was taken with Gaara, he was still going to make passes at her. And then there was Lyra.

She began to stress, and knew that if Lee opened his eyes he'd see it on her face in no time flat.

Thankfully, Gai came back with the water at that time. She was able to face Gai while Lee sat up, breathing to clear her head before facing Lee again. By the time she'd managed herself he had already downed the water and was picking up conversation with Gai.

Of course, they were talking about what kind of training they'd do once he was on his feet, and how they would celebrate his successful surgery.

She felt some of their happy energy, smiling.

A second later there was the sound of someone bursting into the room, the curtain was swept aside a moment after. There was a frantic person at the other side, panting and out of her mind.

Loor turned to be faced with her younger sister.

"Fury?" She questioned. "What are you doing here?"

"Naruto's team is back!" She answered, though she didn't sound happy. "Sasuke is hurt. He's already gotten care, and recovering, but he hasn't said a word since they've gotten back."

"How long have they been back?" Loor questioned, standing up from her chair.

"A few hours, maybe." Fury shrugged. "They've been here in the hospital. Naruto is worried sick, and Sakura... she's just been pacing around."

The elder sister nodded, looking back at Gai and Lee. "Uh..."

Lee smiled softly at her. "Go. I will be here later."

She returned the smile. "You get better Lee. You got a spar with me to look forward to."

Gai laughed, and Lee flashed her one of his trademark grins.

She turned to Fury. "Lead the way."

Fury nodded and started moving. She seemed to know exactly where she was going, so Loor saw no reason not to ask questions.

"So what happened to him?"

"Not sure. No one wants to talk about it. I didn't even see him when they brought him in."

"Huh... How did you find out they were back?"

"I knew you'd be seeing Lee before his surgery. I thought I'd find you, and I ran into Naruto and Sakura outside one of the ER waiting rooms."

"What about Kakashi?"

"He didn't seem very worried. Left shortly after Sasuke was brought in... the jerk."

Loor chuckled. "Knowing him he's hiding somewhere, keeping an eye on his team all the same."

"I guess that's kinda his style."

Fury said this as they arrived at a hospital room, opening it and letting Loor in.

Sasuke was alone in his room for the moment. This confused Loor, seeing as Fury had just said that both Naruto and Sakura were worried sick. She stopped, looking back with a questioning gaze.

"They've already been here." She said sheepishly. "They left when they couldn't get him to talk."

Loor nodded. "You coming in?"

"Nu-uh." The younger sister shook her head. "I have to go see Kiba. He and I are doing some training with the dogs today."

With that, she let go of the door and ran off, waving as Loor stared, the door slowly shutting on its own. Eventually it latched closed, leaving her alone with Sasuke.

After a while, she looked at him. He sat up in bed, staring out the window. He was wearing a black T, and probably pants. Not that she could see, as he was covered by a blanket from the hips down.

His dark eyes stared blankly, but she was sure there were a thousand and one things going on in his head.

Slowly, quietly, she went to take a seat next to his bed. "So you got fucked up, eh?" She asked bluntly.

He didn't react. He didn't show any sign that he heard her at all. She watched, seeing that he hardly even blinked, just looking out the window, intent on a thought that was much further out than the building outside of his window.

"Not talking, not even to Sakura. I'm surprised with you. I heard you two have been getting along since you started sparring. And Naruto... You're rivals. I'd expect he'd get a rise out of you." She was intent on him, hoping her needling would get something out of him. Still, he remained indifferent.

He dark eyes... shined. He was deep in thought all right, and planning something.

Something must have really rocked his world.

But what?

Loor puzzled over him, getting up and walking in front of his line of sight. He didn't seem to notice, just spaced out. She didn't dare touch him, but she studied his face as if it could give her all the answers he wasn't giving.

"Feeling inferior?" She questioned. "You got hurt... it would make sense, since it sounded like Naruto and Sakura weren't hurt at all. You feeling sorry for yourself? No... no, no, that's not like you. You're not into the whole pity thing." She stood up straight, pacing the room. "You're more one for rage. Angry? Frustrated?"

She glanced at him, to see if she'd even gotten a twitch out of him. Sadly, there was nothing. She could be hitting the nail right on the head and not even know it because he wasn't at the wheel of his own brain.

She went back to pacing but had nothing left to ponder. All the feelings she named where things that had to be handled by oneself. He would have to take corrective actions, not she. Her helping hands would do no good here.

"Sasuke?"

The door had opened slightly, and Loor looked up to see Sakura entering tentively. She looked at Loor with surprise, but her gaze turned inquisitive.

Loor shook her head. "He's not talking."

She nodded slightly, coming into the room with a bag. Loor caught the smell of apple.

"Do you know if he likes apples?" Loor questioned.

"He doesn't like sweets." The pink haired wonder answered. "So I got some tart ones for him and some sweet ones for me."

Loor felt the twitch of a smile. The old Sakura would have just bought tart ones and pretended to like them. She felt a little pride at that instance.

Sakura went to the chair by Sasuke's bed and sat down, pulling out an apple and a peeling knife from the bag, with a small plate.

"Is Naruto coming back too?" Loor asked.

"Yeah, but he had to visit Lee. His surgery was today."

"I know. He made it too. Tsunade was impressed."

"Wow." Sakura was making easy work of the apple, coring it and slicing it into sections and putting them all on one side of the plate, pulling out a different colored apple, probably one of the sweet ones, and peeling it for herself. "He may be a weirdo, but I'm happy he's going to be okay."

A second later, Naruto burst in. His entrance was loud, panting as if he had run the whole way back to the room.

He saw Sasuke hadn't moved an inch and frowned, shutting the door softly behind himself. "He still hasn't moved or talked, huh?"

"No." Loor shook her head. "He seems off in his own world. I think something is really messing with him. Mentally, he could be on the edge of a break-down or break-through."

"A break-through?" Naruto asked stupidly. "What do you mean?"

"Like finally finding a solution to a problem that's been following him for a long time." She clarified. "Or the problem has overwhelmed him to the point of a mental melt down."

"Maybe it's both." Sakura suggested, eating her own apple slices, having been quietly working since Naruto's entrance. "Maybe it had to overwhelm him before he figured it out."

"But what could be the problem?" Loor growled, frustrated. She was annoyed, not being able to figure it out. "If the bastard would just _talk, _damn it, I'd know if there was anything we could do."

She huffed, and things went quiet for a moment before Naruto walked up to the bed. "Sasuke!" He shouted. "C'mon, you got more fight in you than this!"

Loor glanced over as Sasuke blinked. She was at the far corner of the room, and was probably the only one who saw it.

Everyone saw what happened next though.

Sasuke suddenly lashed out at Naruto, spooking Sakura so badly that her plate of apple slices flew up and clattered to the floor, shattering in glass and apple bits. Naruto had jumped back, staring at Sasuke, who stared at him like a predator.

"I want to fight you, Naruto." He finally said. "Now."

"S-S-Sasuke!" Naruto was still shocked, and Loor was standing straight with the hair on the back of her neck standing up. Sasuke had a different glint in his eye, a look that had him changed.

His eyes were murderous. Cold.

"Well?" Sasuke pressed, glaring. "Are you going to face me?"

"Of course I am!" Naruto smirked suddenly. "I want to fight you too."

"Guys!" Sakura protested. "Are you crazy, Sasuke? You just got to the hospital."

Sasuke ignored her, getting up and treading right on the apple slices that were scattered on the floor, somehow avoiding the broken glass with his bare feet. Naruto followed him out the door.

Loor blinked a few times, and shook her head. "I got it."

"Got what?!" Sakura was getting up quickly, but her body was shaking from the shock that Sasuke had suddenly woken up like that. "What's to get?"

"Sasuke thinks Naruto has bested him. He wants to prove to himself that he's still better." Loor went over to the window, wrenching it open and looking out and up. "But... something is a tad... wrong. I think Sasuke might be a little too serious about this. He looked a little out of his mind."

"Out of his mind...?" Sakura shook her head. "What are you doing?"

She grinned, leaning back out of the window and picking up her head to look at Sakura over her chest. "Looking for a good place to watch."

"What? Shouldn't we try and stop them? Sasuke was hurt!"

"Why? It's human nature in motion. I wouldn't miss that for the world. Anyway, if we stopped them... it wouldn't matter. The fight would happen another day, when they would be more likely to kill each other. No, I find it better to watch." She then gave a harsh look to Sakura. "Don't try to stop them. They're both serious. You get between them, you'll get obliterated."

Sakura stared, as if she had no idea what to do. "O-okay... but... why are you going out the window? Isn't it easier just to take the stairs?"

"I don't know where they're going. I'll go to the roof and take my look-see before following at a safer distance."

"You could have just followed them out of the room."

Loor rolled her eyes. "Okay, better answer, cause I can, okay?"

Sakura rolled her eyes in return, turning and leaving by way of the door while Loor let herself out of the window, using chakra on the wall to go up.

Little did she know, Sasuke and Naruto had gone to the roof themselves... and were already getting started.

Of course, she didn't interfere. She stood on the ledge of the building, outside the chain link fence that went around the roof. She used chakra to keep her balance, and looked on at Sasuke and Naruto fought. Across the area she could see Sakura, standing at the door of the roof access, looking shell-shocked as the boys went at it.

And they were giving it their all. They were both looking for something, Loor was sure. Sasuke and Naruto both.

But what would they find by fighting?

What would they find by going at it like they were going to kill each other?

What would they find... when they faced each other with their ultimate moves?

Loor was horrified when it came to that, horrified for Naruto and Sasuke. She stared on as Sasuke had been falling from being thrown up, the shine and sound of the chidori coming to life in his hand, and Naruto had been running to meet him with the blue spinning of the rasengan forming in his palm.

"_NO! STOP IT!!" _

It was Sakura, breaking into a run to stop them, or get in between them.

Loor found herself running up from the other direction. She didn't yell, but she had gotten over the fence to run up and stop them. They would kill each other for sure!

There was no way either she or Sakura could get there in time. They were too close, going too fast.

Time froze.

Suddenly, both Naruto and Sasuke went flying in the same direction, their blows deflected by another force. They were sent sailing towards two water tanks on the building. Loor followed this with her eyes, her feet stopping as she watched the boys slam into the water tanks, dangerous parts first.

"What the holy hell...?" She questioned, slowly turning to look back at where the impact zone would have been.

"Kakashi?" She questioned out loud.

Indeed, the silver haired sensei stood tall where the boys would have smacked into each other, having dropped in from above, grabbed their wrists, and tossed them both.

"What are you two doing?" Kakashi asked the boys. "That seemed a little much for sparring. And Sasuke, you're just out of emergency care. What are you thinking?"

The boys had nothing to say. Sasuke was busy pulling his hand out of the water tank, having become embedded in it, the metal shell warping in. Eventually he broke free, and the water blasted out onto the roof. He looked over to Naruto. Instead of bowing in around a point, a crater had been made in the tank, with Naruto's palm in the center. Slowly, his palm slid down, letting a little trickle of water flow through.

Sasuke grinned, feeling superior. Loor caught that look.

She was right... this was all about who was better.

Kakashi was still locked onto Sasuke. "I taught you that move to use on enemies, not allies."

Sasuke ignored him, looking left and right before pulling a chakra powered back flip right off the building, running off.

Kakashi sighed, shaking his head.

Loor stared, getting the feeling that what was going on between Naruto and Sasuke was a lot more complicated than it seemed.

* * *

Before ANYONE yells at me about inaccuracy, its because I'm too lazy to stare at the episode and copy down exact events and dialog. I did this from the hip, to the best of my memory. DON'T KILL ME!!! XP

See you all soon. BTW, Ten chapters from the end of this book, about.

**No ownage.**

~Loor


	69. Don't Cry For Me

**Markings- Middle Ground  
****Chapter Sixty Nine- Don't Cry For Me**

Lee had gone for a walk once he felt good enough to stand. Of course, he wasn't allowed to go alone for the time being. Gai would have been at his side if not for his obligations to the rest of the team, but someone else had graciously volunteered to walk with him for the first time after his surgery.

This was his first walk... on the final road to recovery, and Tsunade stood by him at the great Hokage faces, on the roof of the Hokage building. The building was built at the base of the mountain that the faces were carved into, if not somewhat into it, and there were stairs carved into the mountain that rested right on the roof that would lead one to a path that went right up to the top of the mountain so that you could look down at the Hokage faces and the village.

Lee had wanted to forsake his crutch and try his hand at these stairs, but Tsunade told him off. His legs were badly atrophied, and his back still needed a day or two more before it would want to take that many muscle groups moving.

Regardless, the view from the top of the Hokage building was amazing.

"It won't be long before I expect you to take missions again." Tsunade was saying, looking out on the village. "After going to all the trouble of fixing you up, you'd better be useful."

Lee saluted, standing straight while leaning on his crutch. "Yes Ma'am!" He was enthusiastic. "I can not wait till I can walk and run again. I have spent far too long in the hospital. I feel spirited." He turned his face into the slight breeze, enjoying it as he hadn't felt a good wind for a long time, stuck indoors.

"Take it easy." Tsuande advised. "Rest is part of training, you know."

"I have had too much rest. I am anxious to return to the shinobi life, and the rest of the life I knew. Gai is also excited to see me training and working again... and I am sure Loor will look forward to me coming home."

She chuckled, shaking her head. "Consider this training too, Lee. Training for patience, and waiting. Sometimes, you just gotta take a little time. But... there's no harm in taking a little action to speed things along." She reached into her coat, pulling out a white unmarked bottle with a cork. "I expected you'd be this riled up about training and fighting again, so I made a little something for you."

She held it out, and Lee took it slowly. "What is it?"

"Medicine, something special I cooked up." She smiled. "By the time you finish that bottle, you should be as good as new."

He stared at the bottle as if it were his salvation before grinning at Tsunade. "Thank you. I will remember this, Hokage-sama."

Tsunade chuckled, shaking her head. "No need to thank me. I need good shinobi like you for the times ahead. Not to mention, I'm sure you'll make a good sensei down the line, just like your sensei. A good teacher makes good students, right?"

"Right!" Lee felt warm at the compliment towards his sensei. So many people found Gai so weird that they never noted his good qualities.

"A question for you though, Lee."

"Hm?"

"You and Loor are living together?"

"She began living with me at the beginning of her training." He explained, as to expel any romantic assumptions the Hokage might make. "She needed a place to stay and I was happy to provide... though I do worry how she gets along without me. She does not do missions to make money. I do wonder how she manages to eat every day... but then, she makes so many friends."

"Heh... She manages." Tsunade smirked. "Though I wouldn't mind if she and her sister joined the ninja program. With how much they've been through, I wouldn't mind making them Genin. They'd make good shinobi... if not a tad rough around the edges in Loor's case."

"She will not be staying." Lee said, a tone of sadness picking up in his voice. "I am sure Kiba is as upset as I am about this fact... but Loor has made it very clear that she may not stay here for any reason."

"So you know about that, huh?" Tsunade asked. "It's a shame, the girls have talent, and spirit. Not to mention... I know that Loor's mind is a little too easy to put off balance. Leaving this place... just could break her."

Lee frowned. Loor's mind was easy to break if one picked up on her emotional weaknesses. As much as she fought it, she was a living, feeling, human being. Her mind would shatter if loaded up with enough emotion.

And with Lyra, now...

Lee stayed quiet, turning to return to the hospital.

* * *

"Is Lee back yet?"

Loor asked this question of a nurse, disheartened at the moment. Sasuke had run off after the fight with Naruto, and then Naruto walked off without talking to anyone. She had tried to follow him to talk to him, but he wouldn't say anything. Sasuke trying to kill him must have really gotten to him. After that she went looking for Sasuke, but she hadn't been able to find him.

After that, she decided she'd come back to the hospital to see Lee.

He had returned, and the nurse directed her to the recovery ward. Loor went on her way, but not particularly quickly. No, she walked slowly, a frown ruling her face.

She just didn't understand all that was going on... and she got the feeling that she wasn't going to understand anytime soon. What was going on between Sasuke and Naruto, she was beginning to think she couldn't possibly understand.

She was beginning to think there was nothing she could do to try and fix it for them.

But that's what she did. She fixed things.

She sighed. Not this time, apparently. This had nothing to do with her, just them. She just had to back away, and they would resolve it.

That hurt to think about. That she couldn't do anything. She felt like a mom to everyone, or some other caring figure. She not being able to help just about killed her.

Thankfully, it was a short way to the recovery ward, so she wasn't able to think about it for very long.

"Loor-san." Lee greeted, doing sit-ups in bed. He smiled at her, but the sweat on his face said that what he was doing was hurting him.

"Lee, what are you doing?" She asked, pulling up the chair she had sat in before. Gai was gone, but she didn't mind. It was awkward with him around anyway.

"Tsunade says I can start doing some light training tomorrow if I feel up to it, but I feel quite well now." He completed a few more sit-ups before stopping, grinning at her. He was elated with the success of his surgery. "It may hurt a little bit, but that is the way medicine is. I must not let it stop me."

Loor smiled at him. That was Lee alright. He stared at her, blushing at having earned a smile.

Then, after a few moments, he asked a question.

"Is it safe for you to be here?"

She knew what he was talking about.

Lyra.

He was right to worry, as night was almost upon them. The sun was on it's way down, but she didn't want to leave. Lyra was a risk, even more so as Lee actually liked her, but she didn't want to go back to the apartment. She'd already met up with Konohamaru and let him know that there was a chance that she wouldn't be home that night.

"My place is here." She finally said, taking his hand. "I'm glad you made it."

He nodded, laying back. "But Loor-san, I worry for you."

"You're worrying about me?" She snorted. "What for? I don't need anyone worrying about me."

"I beg to differ." He squeezed her hand. "What of your return home? That is to be soon, is it not?"

She nodded. "I'm supposed to speak with Tsunade tomorrow, and Fury and I will make our final decision about it... whether we stay or go. Though I have to admit, I've gotten pretty attached to this place."

He felt hope, sitting up a little. "You mean you may stay?"

"I might." She confirmed, though she was ruled by a sad look. "But everyone keeps telling me that staying here is dangerous... but I almost find myself thinking that it doesn't matter. That nothing matters, just that I hang on to the little things that make me happy. And who cares if I die or worse? I... just want to be happy." She looked at him. "Is that selfish?"

"Everyone wants to be happy." He answered. "That is what life is about. Finding things that make us happy and chasing after them. My training makes me happy, and gives me a sense of accomplishment. It brings me closer to a goal. There is nothing selfish in chasing our happiness, as long as we do not sacrifice someone else in the process. Then... then it is not only selfish, it is wrong."

There was a pause. She was thinking.

"What makes you happy, Loor?"

She looked at him with the new eyes of a child. She seemed exposed, tired, and lost. She seemed that way many times when she'd come to him, but now she was even more worn down.

"People." She finally answered. "Observing, learning about them, interacting with some of them, just... people. Some of them make me angry, some of them just annoy me, but there are a whole bunch of people that are... well they're special to me. And if a person is around me long enough, even if I hate them, they become special. I mean... even Sasuke, you know? I hate that kid's guts, but he's special to me in his own way. And some people are more special than others, but..." She trailed off. "I need them. I need to see, and understand, and learn."

"I imagine some people make you more happy than others." He said quietly.

"Of course." She smiled softly. "I love some of them."

He looked at her, and reached out to caress her face. He hadn't dared to touch her of late, having wanted to be careful of her feelings. Now, she smiled, and leaned forward to him.

Loor wasn't sure where her mind was in that moment, but she knew she needed something. Someone. She needed reassurance that her existence meant something to someone. She needed to hold someone, and be held, and with Lyra in the back seat she was beginning not to care who it was.

It didn't matter anymore, because she had kissed him, and there was no turning around from there. One kiss turned to two, then a gentle nuzzle to his neck, easing from her chair to next to him on his bed. She felt tears, but she didn't know why she was crying if she was kissing him. Wasn't kissing supposed to be good? Feel good? Make a person feel good?

She settled her eyes against his shoulder, and he pet her hair, seeming to understand her tears. He nodded, and held her, as she sobbed.

"I understand." He said softly.

And she slept there, crying.

* * *

Fury was out and about, alone. Schizo wasn't even with her as she walked the streets, enjoying the night air. She had gone out because she was restless, though getting out without the dogs was quite the challenge. Generally if she moved to get up Akamaru would wake up to ask for a midnight snack or something of that nature, or Schizo would want to go for a walk. Tonight she'd gotten lucky though, able to get out without waking anyone.

She didn't really know why she was walking though. She was restless, yes, but she was also uneasy. She was thinking she'd spent too much time with Kiba, picking up the animal 'sixth sense' that acted up when something bad was going to happen. Either way, she had no idea what force was driving her to put one foot in front of the other.

All she knew was that she wanted to move around.

She passed all the places in the village that she knew, listing them off in her head as she went by them. There was the place where she and Loor had gotten their first outfits when they arrived, and the book store Kakashi liked to go to. Street by street she picked out buildings where people lived, and shops. She could smell it when she passed Ichiraku's, though she passed it by on a different street. Had she been on the right street, she would have stopped by for a bowl.

Walking down the streets, she arrived at the river that ran through the village. She stopped on the bridge that went over it, looking down into the dark water.

Fury liked to swim, but she hated natural water like lakes and rivers. She was a pool person, cause she was afraid of what might be lurking in lakes or rivers. Even worse was dark water. Loor talked about how she wanted to try swimming in a lake at night, but Fury knew she'd never be able to do it herself. Lakes hid enough horrors on their own. In the dark, they were all the more sinister.

She stared at the dark water, and shivered as she felt like she was being watched. She backed away from the water, to the center of the bridge, and turned to walk away from the river, getting more anxious and frightened.

A second later, a hand slid over her mouth. She screamed, but it was into the hand.

"Be quiet."

She was still frightened, but less once she heard the voice. That was Sasuke's voice. She took a few deep breaths, nodding to let him know that he could take his hand away.

She turned to see him, and took a step back. "Going somewhere?" She questioned.

Sasuke was wearing a travel pack. His headband was tucked away, and he was fully dressed unlike how he had been before at the hospital. Fury had heard all about the fight, but hadn't expected to see Sasuke so soon.

"Yeah." He answered in his usual voice. He sounded cold, all business. "So are you."

She blinked at him. "What are you talking about?"

Though the darkness, his black eyes shined. She felt how intense this all was from his tone of voice.

"I was... visited by a group of people tonight. They're with Orochimaru. They... they've offered me what I want; power. I'm leaving with them. They told me I had to bring you with, that Orochimaru wants you too."

"...me?" Fury was dazed. She didn't get it. What group of people? Orochimaru? Wasn't he half dead last anyone heard from him? How could he offer anyone power?

Why did he want her now? Wouldn't he finish his own world off before coming after hers?

Finally, she shook her head. "No. Go ahead, leave. I'm not coming."

"I knew you'd say that..." He shook his head, cursing. He really didn't want to say all they'd said when they'd confronted him, but if Fury was going to be stubborn he was going to have to.

That was sad. He had trained with Fury a lot in the last month, along with Loor. Loor and he bickered like brother and sister, and Fury was like the baby sister. He didn't read into it a whole lot, but Fury had gotten the habit of calling him Sasuke-nii-san.

"They said that if you didn't come with willingly that they'd kill Loor."

"Let 'em talk. Loor can take them, whoever they are."

Sasuke grabbed her by the front of her shirt. "No, she can't." He snarled. "Not all four of them. I can't, you can't, I'm not sure anyone can. Listen, Fury, you come with me or bad stuff happens, you got it?"

"Sasuke, let go of me!" She almost yelped, but he put his hand over her mouth again to remind that noise was bad.

"You are coming with me." He said firmly. "I will not see any of my comrades die because of me, got it?"

She stared for several moments. He felt her attempts to get away, including biting his hand, but he didn't let up. Eventually, with tears in her eyes, she nodded.

He let go, nodding. "Good. Go get whatever stuff you need. I'll meet you at the gate."

She backed away several steps, opening crying before asking a question. "What about Schizo?"

"No." He answered. "They asked for you. Not your dog."

She sniffed, nodding, and turning to run.

She didn't want to think about what she was doing. She didn't want to think about what would happen if she didn't do what she was doing. Who were these people? Why was Orochimaru making his move now?

Did he know they were going home tomorrow, supposedly? Did he know that he had to move now or not at all?

And why was Sasuke so eager to leave?

She had to turn her mind off. She had to calm down, and stop crying.

She had to get home, and not wake anyone.

But she couldn't leave. No, she couldn't. Who knew what Orochimaru was going to do when he had his hands on her? No, she had to figure out a plan.

She had to do something other than just go along with this.

She arrived at her door, breathing deeply, and drying her face. She entered quietly, listening and actually hoping that the dogs had woken up for once. That way, Kiba would be up to stop her. But as luck would have it, nothing stirred in the apartment. She let herself into the bedroom, and all was calm. Kiba was asleep, the dogs curled up with him.

She blinked away tears. She couldn't stop now. She couldn't just curl up with him like she wanted to, and fall asleep in his arms.

No, she had to grab the pack in the corner of the room, the one he'd take on longer missions, and put things in it. Food rations that were ready made and stocked up in the apartment, extra clothes, shinobi tools, and things of the like.

Finally, after she finished loading up the pack, she picked up his coat from the floor.

She walked over to him, and stared down. She dared to kiss his cheek, softly, before putting his coat on and slipping on the pack.

She flipped the hood up, and left the room.

* * *

Sasuke and Fury met where they agreed, and Sasuke led the way toward the village gate. On the way there, Sasuke was silent. He didn't say sorry for making her leave her home and loved one, he didn't give her any words of hope, he didn't even tell her not to be an idiot. He was focused.

The sick thought was that he was eager. Excited.

Fury had the ironic thought that she had started this whole episode thinking about how scary dark water was. Sasuke was a lot scarier, as was Orochimaru.

They were almost to the gate, walking the final lane, when Sasuke stopped. Fury stopped too, as not to bump into him. Sasuke turned his head slightly, to look at her, and then snorted.

"Fury." He finally addressed. "Run ahead. Go right over the wall. Stop for no one. I'll catch up."

"Hm?" She seemed frightened and edgy. "You want me to go into the woods alone?"

"Nothing is going to eat you, now go!"

She whimpered, doing as she was told in her usual meek manner, not looking back.

Sasuke was still looking behind himself though. Because behind him, behind where Fury had been, was Sakura.

The pink haired girl stood tall, her fists balled.

"I don't care where you're going." She said, her eyes and voice showing she was on the verge of tears. "You're not going there without a fight... Sasuke-kun."

"Why are you doing this?" He questioned. "You can't beat me. You can't stop me."

She stared at him for a long time, as if she were weighing her different responses. Finally, it came down to one thing she had to say.

"You make me happy." She blinked, tears that had swelled in her eyes being displaced to her cheeks. "Since we started sparring, more than ever since I've begun to actually know you. For that... I have to fight you with everything I have before I let you leave."

He stared at her, and then turned to face her. "You won't take long... as long as I don't hold back this time."

Sakura let a slow, sad smile crawl onto her face. Tears dripped past her cheeks as she bent for one last bout with Sasuke.

She smiled for him, to let him know that she still cared about him, but the tears stopped.

She would not be sad for him.

* * *

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I changed it. Author's bias okay. I promised the co-author that I'd do the Sakura Sasuke pairing, but I'm doing it my way.

Funny that I'm still honoring promises when the co-author now hates both me and Naruto. Odd. Oh well.

**No ownage.**

~Loor

BTW; I'm sorry if things get a little weird in the future. Lot of shit happening right now, and it's getting tough to keep up. Sorry everyone. Boyfriend going into the military and all that crap... I've been a little depressed. But I'll try and keep up.


	70. Playing Chase

**Markings- Middle Ground  
****Chapter Seventy- Playing Chase**

Loor woke up in Lee's arms. She wasn't sure how she'd gotten there, but she knew that was where she was. Nuzzled up to his neck, she felt his arm around her shoulder and the other around her waist. She had her arms around his torso, but wasn't thinking about that because she really couldn't feel her hands. She was concentrating on how warm and comfortable the world was at the moment.

Still, she lifted her head from the warmth to check if he was awake.

He opened his eyes, and she smiled. "Morning." She greeted.

"Morning, Loor-san." He returned while they both shifted around to let go of each other. Of course he gave her a questioning look as she returned to the chair she was supposed to be sitting in. After the strange episode the night before, he worried for her emotions. "Are you... okay?"

She looked at him as if she had forgotten what happened the night before, but her pained face showed it when she came upon the memory. She bit her lip, looking down. "I... I'm fine now."

He slowly nodded while sitting up, turning to get off of his bed. "Would you join me for a morning walk?" He asked, getting to his feet. "The hospital staff does not like it when I go alone."

"Sure." She answered, standing up quickly. "Do you... uh, still need the crutch?"

"Tsunade says she wants me to keep it with me. If the leg begins to hurt, I am to use it."

"Got ya." She smiled, quickly grabbing the crutch before he could. "I'll carry it."

He stared at her for a moment before nodding, taking a few tentative steps away from his bed. It had been a long time since he had even tried to walk without the crutch, aside from physical therapy. The leg was sore, and stiff, but he made himself move anyway.

By the time they'd made it out of the hospital, he wanted to break into a run for the sheer joy of getting outside without the assistance of the crutch. The village was just waking up, a few people in the streets as the sun burned off the morning dew.

All was quiet, all was calm.

"Where do you want to go?" Loor asked, standing next to him as he took the morning in.

"There is a small park built by the main gate." He answered. "We can go there and rest before coming back."

She giggled at him. "That's all the way across the village."

"I know." He said simply, walking again.

She rolled her eyes, following dutifully as he aimed for the main street that went from the gate to the Hokage building. She noted that he walked quickly, almost with a bounce. He was happy, and for good reason. He could have died the day before.

But he didn't. He lived.

She wanted to feel happy for him, but her mind was still on that kiss the night before. She hadn't even meant to kiss him in the first place. It just... happened. She felt like Lyra had been somewhere in the equation, but if she was Loor didn't remember where. All she remembered was that kissing Lee felt good for about two seconds before it hurt.

But the hurt... why did it hurt?

Did she have to ask that question? She knew why it hurt, she just didn't want to think about it for fear of crying again, out in public.

She tried to stop thinking, putting her head down as she and Lee followed main street down toward the village gate. They didn't talk much, as she was busy trying to sort out her brain and he was busy looking about the village with new, very appreciative eyes.

So it was a quiet trip that led them to the little park by the village gate.

Leading up to this little park was a set of stairs that Loor had to help Lee with, getting a firm hold on his middle and letting him get a hold on the hand rail. It was slow, and there was a surprise waiting for them at the top.

"Neji-senpai!" Lee exclaimed when he saw his team mate. Neji, who had been standing at the rail that rounded the raised park, looked over when he was named. He seemed surprised to see Lee and Loor so early.

"Lee... Loor." He greeted with a nod, and the two walked over to him once they had conquered the stairs. "Why are you here?"

"Lee's allowed to walk without his crutch now." Loor explained. "He wanted to stretch his legs."

Neji nodded. "I heard that your surgery was successful." He said to Lee. "Congratulations."

"Thank you." Lee answered.

Loor glanced between the two. There was something very professional about how these two interacted with each other at the moment. She could feel their rivalry, but they weren't going to go at it till Lee was well.

That was something of a relief. She didn't want Lee fighting anyone till he was fully recovered.

"Oi! Neji!" Someone bellowed from below the raised park.

The trio looked over the rail to see who was calling Neji's name. All three reacted with surprise to see a small party of shinobi headed their way. Shikamaru, wearing his chunnin jacket as a mark of his rank, was at the head of the group with Naruto, Kiba, and Choji close behind him. Naruto was the one who had yelled.

Neji turned to go down the stairs. "Come on." He said to the other two. "We'll meet them at the bottom of the stairs and see what they want."

With that agreement in place, both Neji and Loor helped Lee move down the stairs so they could go faster, practically carrying him. By the time they'd gotten to the bottom the group was waiting for him.

Loor could tell something was wrong. Shikamaru actually looked alert, different from his usually sleepy demeanor. Kiba looked upset, as did Naruto. Choji wasn't eating, looking just as troubled as the rest of them.

"What happened?" She asked, just to break the ice.

Naruto answered her. "Sasuke and Fury left the village last night... headed for Orochimaru."

Of the many things Loor thought she could have heard, that wasn't one of them. She blinked several times, trying to process what was said. It wormed through her brain, flipping around and refusing to settle the right way up. She opened her mouth a few times to protest, and eventually ended up with a simple question.

"...why?"

"We don't know." Shikamaru answered, taking the lead. "But I was assigned to bring them back. We don't have any jonin or other chunnins to assign to the mission, so Tsuande told me to gather as many able bodied genin as I could find. Neji, you're coming with us."

"What about me?" Loor snapped. "I can run with you guys and you know it."

"You're not a shinobi." Shikamaru said simply. "You will not be allowed to leave the village."

"Are you kidding?! That's my sister out there!! You can't just tell me that she's off to join Orochimaru and then send me home!"

Several members of the group looked down. No one wanted to tell Loor that was exactly what was going to happen.

"Naruto, c'mon," she pleaded. "You know this is bullshit! Help me out here!"

He lifted his head to look at her, and then tried to smile. "You can't come with... but I promise we'll bring Fury back. Just for you."

She kicked at the ground, turning and stomping at the dirt like an angry horse. Everyone watched as she flexed her fists and arms, trying to calm her body down enough for her brain to work. Eventually, with a dismissive snort, she turned back to everyone and hefted a sigh.

"Alright, alright... but if she doesn't come back I'm going after her myself whether you like it or not."

Naruto nodded. "Right!"

Loor scanned the group, as if looking for something to believe in, or perhaps to doubt. Maybe she was looking for something she could use as leverage, to go with them anyway. Her electrical blue eyes were angry, and calculating.

She landed on Kiba, and cocked her head to one side. He wasn't wearing his usual coat. He was wearing a coat, but it was a different color and make than his usual one. It looked older, like it didn't quite fit. Also, he had Akamaru in his hood and Schizo on his head.

"Why are you bringing Schizo? Isn't she under trained?"

Kiba sighed. "She wouldn't let me leave without her. And before you even ask about the coat, Fury took my usual one. I... I can only track Sasuke's scent because of it. If she separated from him and went another way, I wouldn't be able to find her because she's wearing something with my scent on it. It covers hers up." He frowned, looking hurt by this fact.

Loor had almost forgotten that Fury and Kiba were very close. "You can't think that she went on her own free will, can you?"

"Why else would she cover up her scent?!" Kiba snapped. "Thankfully, Schizo can track my scent. She's a little under trained, but hopefully she'll help."

"Guys, enough chatting!" Naruto looked antsy. "The more time we spend here, the further away Sasuke gets." He glanced at Loor and Lee, and his gaze lingered on Lee. Soon Shikamaru zoomed in on the depressed shinobi as well.

Lee had his head down, a sad look on his face. "I know I can not go." He said before anyone said sorry. "Next time... I will be there. Now, you must do your best." He brightened with a smile. "Bring Sasuke and Fury back."

Neji joined the group, and they advanced on the gate, which was opening. The giant green doors were being opened by some mechanism that was probably hidden in the walls of the village.

Loor and Lee stood there, prepared to see them off on what was probably going to be the mission of their lives. They stared on as the group of five stood before the gate, Shikamaru explaining strategy to them and how they were going to group together.

After a while, it looked like they were ready to go. Lee and Loor walked up to the group to say quick good-byes and good-lucks, when someone else shouted behind them.

"Wait! Don't go yet!!"

Everyone looked to see Sakura running up.

She looked awful.

The girl was bruised and had bandages where cuts had been inflicted. No doubting it, she'd been through a fight recently. She was doing her best to run, but a severe limp in one leg was changing it into an uneven lope. Still, she did her best to move and stopped when she came upon the group.

"Sakura!" Naruto was the first to shout. "What happened to you?"

She was still gaining her breath. "I... I was the one to catch Sasuke and Fury leaving... remember? I tried to stop him... but..." She paused, looking pained. "I did everything I could. Naruto, you're the only one who stands a chance of bringing Sasuke back now. Bring him back..." Her face was sad, but hardened. She looked like she wanted to say something far more personal about Sasuke, but kept it to herself.

Naruto nodded, smiling. "You really care about him, don't you?"

She nodded. "That doesn't matter right now though. The village needs him more than I do." She made eye contact with Naruto through her teary eyes. "Bring him back to me. Bring him back to all of us."

Loor, standing aside, never thought she'd hear those words come out of Sakura's mouth. Sakura was so self-centered when it came to Sasuke... but apparently since she dropped the weak girl act and started trying to do what she needed to do she got her priorities straight. The girl probably still thought she was in love with Sasuke, but she understood there was more than just her. There was the whole village to worry about.

There was everyone.

Naruto nodded, and gave a thumbs up with a toothy grin. "You got it Sakura! I'll bring him back, no matter what! That's the promise of a lifetime!"

Sakura nodded, and smiled ever so softly and sadly. Everyone said their fare-wells, the the group took off into the woods.

Loor stared after them, her legs itching, telling her to chase after. Sadly Neji was in the group. If she followed they were sure to detect her and send her home.

"Sakura-chan." Lee said, bringing Loor out of her own thoughts. She looked up to see Lee next to Sakura, trying to smile. "Naruto... he made that promise using the 'Nice Guy' pose. I taught him that. It means he won't go back on his word, no matter what. Even if his life has to be put on the line."

Sakura nodded, also staring where the others had vanished. "He never goes back on his word anyway." Sakura said. "If Naruto says it'll happen... it will."

There was silence, nothing but a soft breeze stirring the trees that were present all over the leaf village.

"Lee." Loor said softly. "We should go back to the hospital."

He nodded, but didn't move for several seconds. When he did move, he first turned to give Sakura a pat on the back before beginning the walk back to the hospital. Loor also moved to reassure her, placing a hand on her shoulder as Lee started hobbling down the street.

"Loor..." Sakura was quiet. _"Arigato." _

"Why are you thanking me?" Loor questioned, staring where Sakura was; at the open doors. Why they stayed open, Loor hadn't a clue. Perhaps because the group was expected to come home in the same day that they left, or that another group was expected home soon. Either way, the great green doors stayed open, and the forest beyond almost beckoned to the adventurous. "I didn't do anything."

"You helped me get to know Sasuke... understand him." Sakura replied. "If not for you making us spar the first time with that special training of yours... I wouldn't have never gotten to understand him like I have. I don't think I annoy him as much anymore."

"Do you still love him?" Loor asked, on pure curiosity.

"I... I don't know. But I do certainly care."

Loor nodded, squeezing Sakura's shoulder and turning to go with Lee. "Good luck."

"You too."

* * *

Loor spent her day with Lee, not having Kakashi's team to train with seeing as two members were missing. The day went slow as the two didn't speak much. They were too busy thinking about how much they wanted to be with the team that was tracking down Sasuke and Fury. There was worry for those who had gone, but that led right back to wanting to go with them so they had more chances of coming out alive.

The main fear was that Orochimaru's men were guarding Sasuke and Fury while they went north from the village toward the Field country. Once they crossed the border the group from Konoha was to return home. If Naruto and the others crossed that border, they'd be in enemy territory, and probably dead.

Loor was most worried for Fury. Why would Orochimaru take her and not even attempt to get the elder sister? The two had proven to be a good team. Why had he only gone for Fury?

Loor had been pacing at the end of Lee's bed when she came upon the answer for that question.

Fury was the younger and more impressionable sister. She could be intimidated into leaving, probably by Sasuke. Loor was different. She would have fought Sasuke tooth and nail before leaving. Fury was taken because she could be taken... and the elder sister was likely to follow. This wasn't just about getting Fury and Sasuke to walk away, it was about using Fury as bait.

Loor wanted to scream. It was a bait she couldn't help but bite.

Tsunade walked in shortly after Loor made this revelation, breaking her thought pattern. That was good thing. The way Loor's thoughts were going, she was going to convince herself that chasing after Fury was the only smart thing left to do.

"You two look cheery..." Tsuande commented sarcastically, she herself sounding rather stressed. Of course she was. One of her top genin was off to join the enemy.

Tsunade sat down in the chair Loor usually took, putting her saki bottle on Lee's end table next to Lee's bottle of medicine. She was there for a check up on Lee to make sure all was going well after surgery, Loor knew.

Loor noted while Tsunade was checking Lee over that the two bottles looked alike. Neither were labeled, both were white, and they just about the same shape and size. The only difference was that the saki had a black cork and the medicine had a yellow cork. It made Loor wonder if Tsuande had mixed up his medicine and bottled it in an old saki bottle, or she put her saki in old medicine bottles. Either way, she hoped there wasn't traces of saki in his medicine.

The check over was quick, and Tsunade concluded that all was going quite well. She got up, grabbed her saki, and left rather quickly.

"Well..." Loor muttered. "That's a little bit of good news."

"Yes." Lee agreed, pulling his green suit back on. He hadn't stayed in hospital clothes long after the surgery, quickly going back to his green suit, his headband around his hips, leg weights, and the leg warmers that went over the weights. He kept his full weights, even though they must have been hard to wear after his legs atrophied. "It means there is no problem with me training again."

"I guess so."

"Loor-san? Would you get some water for me?" Lee asked this while sitting on his bed again. "I do not like taking my medicine without something to wash it down. It tastes very strange."

Loor nodded, leaving the recovery ward without thinking. She just went to find a water fountain, and a paper cup from one of the dispensers that were usually found near the water fountains through the hospital, and walked back. She didn't think that Lee would want to stretch his legs after being confined to the hospital for so long, or that leaving him alone might be a bad idea. She just left, did what she was told, and came back.

When she returned, Lee and his medicine bottle were gone, and the window at the end of the room was open.

Loor blinked a few times, as if she didn't understand. A few seconds after the shock of Lee being gone, everything came together.

He was going after the others.

"Oh you little son-of-a..." She muttered, dropping the paper cup and running to the window. She looked out just in time to see Lee disappearing around a corner. Without thinking she launched herself out of the same window, hot on his tail.

If he was leaving, she was going with him.

* * *

Fury was scared. Sad, scared, and royally upset.

Not that she could do anything about it. She was running with the enemy, so she had to pretend that she wasn't nearly as terrified as she was, or angry, but that was a challenge.

The people that had confronted Sasuke were known as the sound four. Fury was next to the only girl in the group, a red haired girl named Tayuya who had a mouth worse than Loor's. She was quick to violence and charged with 'keeping the newbie in line' as another member of the group had phrased it. The whole group creeped her out though, not just the one who smacked her every time she said something.

There were three others in this strange and frightening group. There was Sakon, who violated Fury's picture of the human body by having two heads. He didn't say much, but if he did it was some form of twisted violence-related humor. Then there was Kidomaru, who further decimated Fury's thoughts on how a human body was supposed to be built by having six arms. Yeah. Six. The only normal person in the group, aside from Tayuya, was a large built guy named Jirobo. This is the group they had left the village with.

The group had been cut down since then though.

Fury had seen the group from Konoha twice now. They would catch up, and then one of the four sound ninjas would stay behind to stall them. The first one to drop out of the group was Jirobo.

When they caught up next, Choji wasn't in the group anymore.

They were running now, from where they'd left Kidomaru behind. Fury was shaking and almost sick though. Kiba was among the group from Konoha. He'd seen her, called out to her, and she wasn't able to say a word for fear of Tayuya deciding she wasn't worth it and killing her on the spot. Kiba had looked so hurt, and Schizo... she was yelping and howling the whole time. Fury wanted more than anything to be them at the moment... but instead she was stuck with a violent red head and a two headed psychopath.

There was something else though. A barrel. Jirobo had been carrying it at the beginning of this strange trip, and Kidomaru had taken it after him. Now Sakon had this barrel to carry. It was reeking of chakra, both the normal kind and the poisonous kind that Fury could feel whenever someone had their curse mark active. Inside this barrel was something important.

More accurately, someone.

At the beginning of this strange and scary episode, this group had offered Sasuke power by making his curse mark more powerful. To do that, they had to give him a drug that forced the curse from level one on to level two. The problem with forcing it along like that was it would kill him. But they had a way around that. They'd put Sasuke in the barrel and put a great big sealing jutsu on it. It would keep him from death until he could ride out the effects of the pill.

Fury was told she'd get the same treatment once Sasuke was done.

That thought scared her. The curse mark was bad enough. She didn't want more power attached to it, not when it had messed her up once before. The only thing keeping her from completely breaking down was that she had Kiba's coat as a type of security blanket.

The other thing was... she had a plan.

She wasn't going to Orochimaru, no way. She had an idea to get away, and she was sure it would work.

It had to work. As long as they were playing musical chairs with that barrel, it would.

* * *

And now I get to do what I hate the most in my fanfic stuff...

Regurgitating scenes. I hate having to re-write scenes everyone knows, mostly because I know I have several things missing. XP And probably a few things wrong cause I couldn't remember what was going on or what someone looked like. Perhaps I'm not as much of a Narutard as I thought.

Oh wells.

**I don't own anything.**

**NOTE!!! **Chapters in book three may be a tad slow thanks to me attempting to write two stories at once again. If you happen to be a veteran fan of my old VoW stories, I've started work on the last book. And I mean it, LAST. It all ends here. If your bored, go read. It's rated M, and you'll know why in chapter one. XP

Happy reading,

-Loor


	71. The Enemy

**Markings- Middle Ground  
****Chapter Seventy One- The Enemy**

Loor was right behind Lee.

He had gotten outside of the village and out into the woods unhindered, and apparently picked the correct path to follow by some sort of tracking skill. Loor hadn't a clue, but Lee seemed confident in his choice of direction. Who was she to question, without revealing that she was following him? She had to stay behind him, and generally out of sight in case he decided to look back.

Once they had cleared the village, she found herself thanking every holy figure she knew that he was not in top shape. Had he been, she would have had no chance of keeping up with him. He took to the upper reaches of the deep forest that Konoha was nestled in, running the branches. Thankfully, Loor had gotten good at this while training with Kakashi's team. They'd taken several days to learn how to travel quickly when a mission is on a time frame.

So she could keep up, barely.

She was quiet, and hopefully Lee believed he was alone so he did not speak. It left Loor to think about why the hell she was following him. The truth was that she didn't want to miss the action, but she was telling herself that she was worried about him in his not so well condition. After long, her thoughts turned to doubt, thinking he'd gone the wrong way. If they were going the right way, she was thinking they would have seen some sign by now.

That doubt disappeared when Lee suddenly stopped. She stopped too, taking to the trunk of the tree she was on, listening. At first she heard nothing, and then the sound that said Lee had jumped down to the ground.

Dutifully she followed, getting to the forest floor and finding Lee walking slowly, and carefully. He kept bending to the ground, looking for something.

As she followed, quietly, at her usual distance, she found out why. There were trap wires along the ground. They were strung between trees, bushes, and otherwise. Lee was carefully stepping over them ahead of her, and she copied in the same manner, sweating. If she tripped one she'd probably trigger something nasty, but she'd also alert Lee.

Sadly, the person that set the traps was far more careful than she was. She thought she'd stepped over one, but as she set her foot down she still felt resistance, as if she'd stepped on something. When she felt that resistance, she held her foot still.

But her balance wouldn't hold. She heard two clicks as she wobbled.

A moment later, she was on her back in the grass, looking up as several kunai shot down from traps set above the wire she'd tripped.

Looking down, she saw the force responsible for her not being skewered was on top of her. Lee had turned and bowled her over before the trap had gone off, showing some of his old speed. Still, he had a pained look that said his muscles had protested heavily.

"I knew you were there." Lee said. "I thought you could take care of yourself."

"Apparently not." She chuckled, feeling stupid and shaken.

He got up, holding out his hand to her. She didn't take it, getting up on her own to preserve some of her pride. "What did I step on?"

"Some of the wires are set in the shadows of the other wires." Lee said. "It is ingenious, really. But hard to get past. Follow me. I was almost at the end when you triggered that one."

"Aren't we worried about the nasties coming after us now that we triggered one of their traps?" Loor asked, still doing as she was told as Lee started to walk again, following in his foot steps exactly.

"I think they are beyond here. Traps like this mean that they rested. If they are still here, Naruto and the others are with them, and they will not have time to deal with us."

"Oh..." Loor felt stupid again. "Guess I should have figured that out."

"Everything has meaning." Lee mentioned. "That is something a shinobi learns. One must think of the time taken to make traps and barriers and seals. If the enemy wants to rest or hide, they leave traces that tell you so."

"So basically if you find traps and stuff you wanna get through it quickly because the enemy is probably resting cause they're tired, which is a good time to attack."

"Exactly."

"But... we're not too far from the village." Loor was puzzling. "Why would they be tired so quickly?"

"Perhaps one of them is carrying something?" Lee suggested.

"Maybe."

She shrugged as they finally made it through the trap wires, continuing on with a wary step, walking instead of running.

Soon after, they came upon a clearing.

Loor was the first to react to the two people present in the clearing.

"Choji!"

Two people lay in the clearing, Choji being one of them. The other was a larger person with a mainly bald head, looking like he shaved it all besides a mohawk and sideburns. The scary thing was, both of them looked dead. Loor ran to Choji, not even thinking about traps, and Lee cautiously walked up to the other person.

The other person was dead, for sure. Beaten, bloodied, and dead. Choji must have given it his all. Lee stared at the corpse, and then looked over to Loor.

Loor was feeling for Choji's pulse while looking him over. He didn't look too bad, but something was most definitely off about him. Something was wrong that she couldn't quite put her finger on. As she felt his pulse beating at his neck she stared at his angular face, trying to figure out what it was.

That's when she got it. His face was angular. Choji's face wasn't angular. It was chubby, and round. Standing up quickly, she looked at him. All the excess weight on him... it was gone.

"He's alive..." She stated. "But... what happened to his...?"

"The Akamichi family has a peculiar ability to store up chakra in their bodies, like fat." Lee said, trying to put her mind to rest. "They also have a hidden technique that can be released by three types of food pills called the Triple Threat. It hurts to use it, but increases power by burning up these reserves."

Loor cocked her head to the side while Lee bent, digging through Choji's pockets. "Sounds like a drastic diet plan. What are you looking for?"

"The case." He said, standing again with a clear plastic case. It was empty. "He took all three. His life could be in danger."

She felt a burst of a adrenaline. "Shit... we can't go back. Is there anything we can do for him right now to help?"

"No. But Tsuande is sure to send another team after Shikamaru and the others once there is enough shinobi in the village to do so, and they will have field doctors with them. All we can do is leave him here where they will find him. He has a better chance in a clearing than in the thick woods. Plus moving him could be dangerous."

"Fuck... Ino is gonna be pissed." Loor stomped at the ground, snorting.

"We should keep moving. We must catch up with them."

Loor didn't speak, she just nodded for him to lead the way. There weren't any more traps, but it could be assumed that Naruto and company had made first contact at the clearing. The enemy didn't have time to set traps anymore with everyone hot on their tail.

The two of them returned to the tree tops, kicking off to give chase again.

* * *

"I think now is a good time to divide and conquer."

Fury, Sakon, and Tayuya had stopped to switch who was carrying the barrel when Sakon said this. Tayuya was the first one to answer.

"What the hell are you talking about?" She snarled. "You mean splitting up? That leaves one of us with the brat to manage, the other with the barrel, and three people left to fight assuming they left someone with Kidomaru to keep chasing us."

Sakon actually smiled, which was freaky. "I can take care of the new girl."

Fury had the urge to hide behind Tayuya. At least she didn't have two heads. Still, she stood tall and decided now was to put her plan into action.

"I'll take the barrel."

Both Tayuya and Sakon shot her a look.

"Why?" Sakon asked, approaching Fury and looking down at her. "So they can go after you and pick you off?"

She held her arms out, trying not to shake. "See this coat? It belongs to the boy who's been tracking us. He can't smell me because of it. He's following Sasuke's smell, and you two. If I left the group, they couldn't follow me. Just point the right direction, and I'll take it."

"What the fuck keeps you from turning around and going straight home?" Tayuya jumped in, getting in front of Sakon and into Fury's face. "You think you're pulling this shit with us? I don't trust you, mousy. You're too scared to be here willingly. I don't know why Orochimaru favored you in the first place."

"I have no reason to go home." She said simply. "If I went back, nothing is waiting for me but punishment."

That was kinda true. Once Loor found her, Fury knew her big sister was going to beat her into a bloody pulp.

"Tayuya," Sakon pulled his team mate back. "Give it to her. She's small. She'll get far enough away so they can't chase her, and we'll catch up to her. She'll tire out fast. Even if she tries to go back... we'll catch her. And then we'll kill her."

Fury wondered if her face had gone white, but Tayuya finally nodded.

"Fine, take it and get going." She pointed in the direction they'd been going. "Go that way, and be careful. You break that barrel and Sasuke dies, and you won't be far behind him, got it shit head?"

Fury nodded as she went to the barrel, putting it on her back in the same fashion the others had carried it by a rope harness of types. It was heavier than she thought, but she'd be able to handle it for a while with all the strength training she'd done with Sasuke.

Tayuya turned to Sakon as Fury started to leave. "I'll stay here and wait for them. You go somewhere else... I'll send the dog your way, eh? Get rid of their tracker, they'll never find her whether she was lying or not."

Fury let out a sigh once she was far enough away not to be heard. She'd go one way for a while, and then she'd make a big circle.

"We're going home Sasuke." She muttered. "Whether you like it or not."

* * *

"Oh God... not again."

Loor said this as she and Lee entered what wasn't quite a clearing, but had most definitely been a battle ground. There were strange yellow blades all over the place, and big yellow arrows that were made out of some hard material. There were also spider webs everywhere.

Loor went looking around, wondering if another one of the people she knew had fallen here. Lee went another way, looking for any hint of the attacker.

Loor was successful first.

By one of the great yellow arrows, Neji was pinned to a tree through the chest.

She stared at Neji, blinking. She walked up, slowly, doing what she had done to Choji. She felt for a pulse, for a sign of life.

When she stuck her hand on his neck, his head bobbed.

She felt a flourish of hope along with the cold sweat of sickness. If he was still alive and somewhat conscious, he had to be in all sorts of pain. "Neji?" She asked, quietly, her hand still on his neck.

"Mmmnn..." He groaned, his head hanging like the rest of his body. He didn't have much left, but the giant arrow in his chest was keeping him from bleeding. As long as he didn't move, maybe he'd be okay when the field medics got there.

"It's okay, Neji." She muttered. "Help is coming. And you'd better not die, asshole."

"...Neji... dear gods..."

Loor turned to see Lee standing there, looking shocked.

"Yeah. He's still alive. What did you find?"

"The person he was fighting is dead." Lee said. "He must have a kekkei genkai related to arachnid abilities."

"Eh? English please?"

Lee sighed, pushing her to get moving. "I believe his blood line abilities are related to a spider's abilities to make webs and otherwise. He had six arms."

"Six...?" Loor shook her head. "And I thought I'd seen everything."

"A shinobi never has."

They took off again, in hopes that they were getting closer to the others.

* * *

Fury was getting ready to start circling around. She decided that she'd count thirty more trees, and then she'd start her way back to Konoha. Of course, counting trees in the forest is easy, so she was just counting the ones she walked on, still hopping branches and talking to the barrel, telling Sasuke to go on a diet the next time he decided to skip town.

She was getting to the end of her count when her plan was ruined.

It was a man who dropped out of nowhere. Or maybe he was a teenager, since he looked younger. Or maybe he was just scary. Either way, he dropped down a few trees in front of her, as if he was waiting for her.

As she got closer, she assumed he was part of Orochimaru's posse, and she was allowed to study him.

He was pasty white with light hair. Like... silver hair. He had two red dots on his forehead, and pale green eyes. He wore a loose robe tied around the middle with a purple rope obi, and wore simple white pants. Everything about him almost said albino, but last she checked albino people had red eyes, not pale green.

Either way, she stopped when she got to him, getting the feeling that her plan ended here.

Which meant she'd helped the enemy.

"And you are?" She felt the urge to ask.

"My name is not important." He said softly, quietly. "Give me the barrel."

"But..." She paused. If she fought for it, would he suspect her? Or kill her? "But I just got it. I can go on."

"You will give it to hands more able than your own." The white man commanded. "So I may save my master."

"N-no!" Fury stuttered. "I..."

She paused. She thought she'd heard something.

"Give me the barrel or I will take it. I will not kill you... but I will hurt you."

She looked at him and then glanced to the side, back the way she'd come. "Eh.."

"Give me the barrel."

"Just a second, I.." She paused, and then nodded. She'd been cornered. There was nothing she could do. Sitting down, she got the holster off.

That's when the sound came through again. She heard it, and it struck her loud and clear.

Barking. It was a dog, barking.

"You will stay here and wait for the others." The white man said while he put the barrel on. "Understood?"

She stared at him. "Uh... yes sir?" She questioned, feeling antsy. Didn't he hear the barking? Or did he just not care?

A moment later, the guy took off. Fury stayed down, closing her eyes and crying.

She had failed.

"Fury!! Fury-chan!!"

She looked up, surprised. "Eh?" She questioned the air, looking back. "Naruto?"

That was the voice she was hearing, along with the dog barking.

A few moments later, the orange ninja came through the trees, landing next to her.

"Fury!" He bellowed when he saw her.

With him was Schizo.

"What the hell were you thinking, leaving the village like that?!" He snapped at her as Schizo stood at his feet, growling at her. She was cornered by the good guys!

"I didn't have a frigging choice!" Her temper flared, getting up. "Sasuke said they'd kill Loor if I didn't leave! Now stop talking to me and go that way!" Fury pointed. "That's the way the new guy went. He's got Sasuke!"

Naruto stared, and Schizo whimpered.

"Move!"

A second later, he kicked off. "Thanks!"

Fury was happy he didn't ask any more questions. Much longer, and they'd lose Sasuke for sure. They were close to the border. Too close.

Schizo, still standing where Naruto had been standing, stared at her owner with big puppy eyes. Fury looked after a long while, and nodded, holding her arms out. With a yip the dog jumped into her arms, happy to be back with her owner.

"How the hell did you find me though...?" She questioned into the dog's fur. "I thought Kiba's coat..." She trailed off. "Oh my god, duh! Only Kiba can't smell me. You and Akamaru wouldn't have a problem. I'm so stupid..."

Schizo seemed to woof an agreement, and then struggled away from her owner, barking and pointing her nose.

"Hm?" Fury stared at the puppy. She wasn't too great at understanding dogs like Kiba could. He said she'd get better the longer she hung with Schizo, and maybe he was right. "You want me to go somewhere?"

Fury hoped she'd guessed right, because Schizo took off running. She didn't question, following her dog.

She hoped that Schizo was leading her back to Kiba.

* * *

Loor and Lee hadn't come across any other battle areas for a long time, or anyone else of the Konoha group. Lee just kept going in one direction, seeming confident that it was the right one.

It was bothering Loor that he seemed to be following nothing, to the point where she had to ask.

"How the hell do you know where you're going?"

"This is the shortest and fastest way to the Field country." He answered. "I believe our enemies know we will not chase them past their border, so they probably aimed to cross it as fast as they could. So I follow the path they were most likely to take."

"I take it you know your map pretty well."

"I took the time to memorize the locations of the countries and most of their topography. It would be bad to go on a mission, try to take what seemed to be the shortest rout, and run into a cliff or mountain. Gai was very proud of me for doing that on my own."

Loor chuckled. Gai had a lot to be proud of. "So, what's ahead of us?"

"We're following a river." He answered, pointing off to the side. "Just west of this wood is a steep cliff face that the river has cut. It bends at the top, and there is the border, and two great statues of the village's founders; the first and second Hokages. If we keep going north like we are, we will hit the end of the woods and get out onto some flat land. Plains. Going straight north from there, we will get to the river head and the statues. I believe that is where they intend to cross."

"And we gotta catch them before that?" She asked.

"Or at the border itself. Though I hope it does not come to that."

"Why?"

"There is a chance that around a river that one must fight on the water, Loor."

"Yeah... so?" She questioned.

"Loor, I cannot walk on water like other shinobi. Remember?"

Her blood ran cold. That was right. Lee wasn't like other ninja who could exert chakra and walk on water and up walls. He did it on his own, with his own bodily strength.

When it came to water, Lee was lost.

She hoped that they caught Sasuke, Fury, and whoever was with them on the plains.

* * *

Heh, something I thought about, looking back at the Sasuke retrieval arc. How would Lee cope with a water-based battle at this time? It would seem he gets some ability to walk on water in Shippuden, in some magical way, but at this time it's still established that he can't do it like everyone else.

It would be interesting to see him attempt a water-based battle. I'd like to see it anyway.

**No ownage.**

-Loor


	72. Reinforcements

**Markings- Middle Ground  
****Chapter Seventy Two- Reinforcements**

Naruto had fought the white man, and failed. He had not died, but he had failed in getting the barrel because the barrel was no longer important.

Sasuke had come out of the barrel. It had exploded in dark chakra and energy, and Sasuke had emerged... and began to run towards the Field country on his own. In that manner, Naruto had failed. He could not run from the white man without getting killed by the white man, but he could not fight the white man without letting Sasuke get away.

Dazed by his decision, he was nearly killed. The white man had a blood line ability, one that was most grotesque.

He could pull his bones out and use them as weapons. His bones replaces themselves, and chakra reinforced them to have the strength of steel. The white man had a white sword made from a bone in his upper arm, and this sword was going to make the final blow on Naruto.

But someone got in the way and blocked it.

Naruto, knocked aside, stared up at his savior with wide eyes.

"Whoa... Bushy brow??"

None other than Lee stood over Naruto, holding the sword that would have killed him. "Go after Sasuke, Naruto. I will fight this one."

"But... you're just out of the hospital!"

"I can handle him." Lee stated, sounding confident. "GO!"

Naruto stared for a moment more in wonder, and took off like he was told.

Lee and the white man separated, and the fight would soon begin.

* * *

Loor was pissed. All this running and chasing and following and she was stuck waiting in the woods while Lee fielded the last fight! They had finally caught up with one of Orochimaru's guys, or at least one that was still alive, and Lee insisted she stay back.

Well... Lee kinda had to run in and save Naruto's hide, but she still wanted to be there, fighting with him!

She also wanted to find Fury... but they had seen no one but Sasuke come out of that weird barrel. And Sasuke... he was full of the poisonous chakra that came off of the curse marks. He wasn't just full of it, he was saturated, soaked, reeking of it. Something was seriously wrong, and she had the feeling that Naruto was going to find out first hand.

She tried to stop thinking as Lee and the white man began to fight each other. One thing was for sure, Lee was not the fighter he used to be. He was slower, but none of his motions were wasted. It didn't matter though, he couldn't keep up with the mystery man. He took a couple of very painful looking blows, and couldn't even keep up his usual combos. It seemed that some of the flexibility necessary for half of his arsenal was gone.

Being in the hospital did that to a person.

She felt her legs twitch every time he took a hit, as if her feet were going to start moving on their own and just take her along for the ride. She couldn't take it, what was happening to him. He was getting pushed back, losing ground, and it was beginning to look like the white man was just toying with him.

She felt a lump forming in her throat. Lee couldn't do this.

Eventually, backing up, he fell on his butt.

Loor couldn't take it anymore. She was on her feet and ready to burst out of the woods, but there was no way she'd make it to him in time. He was at least ten yards from her, and Lee's adversary had his bone sword ready to go right through Lee's head. In a few seconds, it would all be over.

Suddenly, Lee put his hand out and yelled, "Wait!!"

* * *

Tsunade was with Gai, sitting at the bed Lee was supposed to be in. Gai was worried sick, bouncing around and pacing.

"It's like him to want to fight, but he's not ready!" Gai was muttering, shaking his head. "Even if he did take the medicine you made for him, what good will it do him?"

"Not much." Tsuande admitted. "That medicine is made to help his muscles recover from their atrophied state. The effects are gradual, not immediate." She said this while pulling out her saki bottle from inside her coat, pulling the cork from it and preparing to take a swig... when she stopped.

She looked at the cork. It was yellow.

She stuck her nose over the bottle.

"Gai..." She muttered. "He didn't take his medicine."

Gai looked over at her and the bottle she was hold. He stared at her for several seconds before it sunk in for him. "You accidentally switched it with your saki bottle...?" He questioned.

"Smells like it." She muttered, frowning and corking the bottle again, putting it on the end table.

Gai looked utterly horrified. "Oh..." He muttered. "Oh no..."

She gave him a look. "What's wrong? So he might sip a little saki thinking it's medicine. So what?"

"You don't understand!" Gai crowed. "It happened a long time ago, but it was terrible!"

"What the heck are you talking about?" Tsuande questioned, getting up.

"Several months ago, I took Lee and the team out for a celebration. Lee had learned the primary lotus, a very difficult and dangerous taijutsu technique. We went to a nice place to eat to celebrate... but..." He trailed off, frowning. "He mistook my saki for water, and took some. Just one sip..."

He swallowed.

"When it was over, the restaurant was destroyed. He had just one sip, and went crazy. It took both me and Neji to hold him down!"

Tsuande blinked. "You're telling me he can do _Suiken?" _

_Suiken,_ literally translated, means drunken fist. A particular fighting style that one is only capable of while intoxicated. A true master of _Suiken _gets better the drunker they get.

Gai nodded gravely. "And that was just one sip. Can you imagine what he might do with a whole bottle?"

Tsunade hung her head. "I'm wondering if those bottles getting switched is a blessing in disguise."

* * *

When Lee had shouted for his enemy to wait, he did. The white man had stopped, staring at his fallen opponent.

"Please," Lee said, still holding up his hand. "I am sorry, but it is almost time to take my medicine. I must take it. Excuse me."

The white man blinked at him, confused. The boy was dead. Why would he insist on taking medicine? Still, the white man saw no harm in it. The boy was also pathetic. Unless it was some sort of magic potion, it would change nothing.

Lee drew the bottle from his weapon's pouch, having stored it with the rest of his tools. He pulled the black cork and quickly started to drink. Tsunade had instructed him only a swallow at a time, but he expected he was going to die very soon. He saw no harm in taking the whole bottle. Perhaps it would have some profound effect on him and give him a chance. When he finished it, he spat.

"From the time I was little, I have never liked medicine." He gave, tossing the empty bottle aside. "It tastes so strange."

From far away, Loor was wondering why the hell the white man stopped. She wondered why Lee had stopped him. She wondered why she herself had stopped when Lee had yelled 'wait!' but she had. She stood there, watching at Lee got to his feet.

She noticed at once that he seemed unsteady.

That is when things got interesting.

Lee actually stumbled several steps away from the white man, looking around as if he were confused. When he spoke again, Loor could actually hear him when before he had been too quiet. His speech was slurred, and angry.

"What... what am I doing here?" He shouted at the white man, glaring. After a few seconds, Lee actually tripped over himself, falling face first.

Loor was sure she and the white man came to the same thought.

He was drunk.

Loor remembered, the bottles. They looked the same. Tsunade must have taken Lee's medicine, which meant Lee took Tsunade's saki!

She whimpered. Lee didn't stand a chance.

The white man must have sensed this too, because he went to attack...

To have Lee suddenly leap from the ground and punch him in the face.

Whoa.

"You!" Lee shouted, coming after him. "You tripped me! You can't do that!" He was suddenly much faster, the saki probably keeping him from feeling pain from protesting and sore muscles. The white man was losing ground this time, having to block with his strange bone sword as Lee came back full force.

Loor stared on blankly as Lee actually seemed to be a much better fighter when he was drunk.

"He's a bar brawler..." She muttered to herself.

Lee was all over the place, suddenly moving with his blinding speed again even if it was somewhat clumsy. He even went onto his hands and started fighting just with his feet, laughing and swearing and shouting and using imperfect English, things unheard of in his case. He was crazy and it couldn't have happened at a better time.

It was wonderful, until the white man managed to hit him. It was one good whack across the stomach that sent Lee flying in Loor's direction. He actually landed a yard or two from where she was hiding in the woods, flat on his back.

She stared at him, willing for him to get up again. She didn't want to give away where she was, as the white man was walking up slowly, wary of Lee for good reason. Still, as Loor stared at him she heard him... snoring.

He had passed out.

The white man approached carefully, looking at Lee with suspicious eyes. He lifted his bone sword to attack again, and Loor braced to leap out of the bushes and stop him. This time, she was close enough. She could fight in Lee's stead... though she had no idea how long she'd last.

She didn't have to find out, because Lee leapt up again, dealing another tough hit to the white man. "HA! Fooled you!" He laughed as the white man landed on his feet several feet away. "How can you be so stupid? It was so obvious! I... I mean..."

Loor stared as Lee yawned. He fell down again, on his face. This time, the white man kept more distance. He waited, not wanting to get close. Was he faking again?

He decided to come straight in with the attack, and Lee got up yet again, kicking him away. "I got you again!" He shouted. "That's just too easy!"

Loor started to breathe again as Lee got serious. Well, as serious as a drunk person could be. He ran straight for the white man, still giggling. Leaping into the air, Lee looked like he was getting ready to finish it on the way down.

The white man looked up, and did something strange.

He completely opened himself up for the attack. He dropped his arms and actually arched his chest towards Lee's incoming foot. He stared with a face that was yet to show emotion through the entire fight, right at Lee's drunken and crazed state.

Suddenly, something very gross happened.

The white man's ribs suddenly burst forth from his chest like deadly spikes, pointed, and catching Lee on his way down. Lee was able to redirect himself away from most of it, but he was still cut up by some of the ribs. He scrambled away, and the white man turned to face him still, the deadly bones slowly retracting back into his body.

Loor struggled to hold her lunch.

Lee stared, and blinked. He seemed confused again, but in a more sober way. Loor noticed this, that he'd stopped stumbling. The worst of the saki must have passed.

That was bad. At least while he was drunk he was able to fight.

Loor wanted to yell as he looked around, as the white man had charged.

Lee looked at the last second, and he was like a deer caught in the headlights.

This time, Loor didn't think. She leapt out in front of him, bellowing and crossing her arms in front of her face, hoping that the strange bone sword wouldn't saw right through her. She planted her feet, closed her eyes, and waited for the pain.

Instead, she felt sand.

She opened her eyes in shock, looking up as she saw nothing but sand in front of her and under her feet. The ground was moving, making her stumble and fall back onto Lee, who had already fallen.

But... this didn't make any sense! There was no way sand could just protect and move a person unless...

The sand shell that had protected her fell down, and she looked up to see the last person she'd ever expect to see.

She opened her mouth, staring.

"...Gaara..."

He looked down at her and Lee, and Loor could almost swear that she saw a slight smile on his face. "I will finish this."

* * *

Fury had followed Schizo into an area of the woods that was down hill from the rest, and a fair ways back from where she had been. It wasn't that she didn't trust the dog, Fury just had no idea where she was. Still, Schizo was diligently sniffing the air, not the ground. The dog was looking for someone in the area, not someone who had actually walked where they were walking.

When Schizo finally found what she wanted, she took off running again. Of course, Fury was right behind her.

Schizo led her into a thicket of trees and bushes near where running water could be heard and where some rocks stuck out of the ground. If she wasn't careful, she'd trip. But she was careful, and eventually came to the end of the long trek that her dog had taken her on.

Schizo sat next to a crumpled shinobi and a fellow nin dog.

Fury nearly yelped.

"Kiba!" She gasped.

And it was. He sat against a tree, not wearing a coat, which made sense because she had his usual coat, and nursing a bleeding wound in his stomach. It looked like someone had stabbed him nice and deep. He looked up when he heard her voice, and stared at her as if he didn't believe it.

"Fury...?" He questioned. "Why... I thought... you were..."

"With them?" She asked, shaking her head. "Are you nuts?" She walked closer, bending by him and looking at the stab wound in his gut. "What happened?"

"Long story." He answered. "So... why did you take my coat?"

"If I wasn't coming back..." She trailed off, wishing she had some medical supplies with her. "I wanted something to remember you by."

"Why did you go?"

"They were going to kill Loor if I didn't."

"What about now? You ran from them. What do you think they'll do?"

"I don't know." She admitted. "I just knew I wasn't going to leave. Not without a fight."

"Awe... how sweet."

Fury and Kiba both looked up, and Schizo barked where Akamaru, who was in just as bad shape as Kiba, couldn't.

Entering the thicket, wearing another coat like Kiba's, though smaller, was Sakon. Better put, it was a really twisted version of him. It was a whole person, but half of the person was made up of what looked like black scales, and the other half was burnt orange, and the burnt orange half had hair and a big horn on the head.

Sakon's second head was there too, but it wasn't hanging like it had been before. It was awake, and had the other horn. It was the one on the right that was talking though, with Sakon's voice.

"I figured if I wore the coat you left behind, you'd never smell me coming." He said, grinning.

"Kiba..." Fury was shaking. "What the hell is he?!"

"He had a curse mark." Kiba muttered. "It covered him all up, and then he turned into that. His second head... it can separate into a whole 'nother body. It's his brother."

"Correct!" Sakon cried, sounding triumphant. "And now I'm going to kill you both. To hell with Orochimaru's orders about you, Fury. I do believe you'd become more trouble than you're worth."

Fury stared, knowing she had nothing to fight Sakon with. She needed her tools if she wanted to fight, weapons, but she had lost her pack early on. Tayuya had taken it, suspecting an attack. Kiba was done, and Schizo wasn't trained enough.

It looked like they were staring down the pike of death.

Then they heard a clicking sound. It was loud, close, and fast. There were two of them, actually, from two different directions, going through the upper reaches of the trees.

"What the...?" Kiba muttered, looking up.

The clicking grew louder, and Sakon ignored it, advancing upon his helpless victims.

A second later, two halves of a wooden barrel slammed around him. It was a big, brown, wooden barrel with holes in it.

At the top of the barrel was a mock-up of a head that looked like it had antennas like an insect.

Behind them, another shinobi walked up. Kiba looked up, shocked.

"You?" He questioned. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving your ass." The new guy replied. "What else?"

Fury looked, and stared.

She was looking at Kankuro, Gaara's elder brother. She then looked back at the thing that had captured Sakon. "What is that?"

"One of my puppets." Kankuro answered. "Ant. He's made for capture missions, but when coupled up with Crow..." He gestured his hand, which was connected to chakra strings that were connected to his puppets. It was how he operated them, like marionette puppets. Attached to the puppet that was Ant was Crow. Crow had several arms, and the gesture Kankuro had made caused those arms to become dislodged showing that their bases were huge blades, razor sharp.

Fury realized what the holes in the barrel were for.

She looked away as Kankuro dispatched Sakon. She may have been creeped out by the guy, but the thought of skewering him made her rather sick. Kiba looked away too. He'd leave the killing to older shinobi.

At least they had survived.

Fury only had to hope the same for everyone else involved with this mess.

* * *

Once again people, shooting from the hip, like always.

This will be a massive update. I hope to get to the end of this book tonight. Sorry for the delays. Life sucks, not getting a lot of reviews, behind on homework, the usual excuses. Let's just get on with this, alright?

**I don't own Naruto.**

-Loor


	73. Dreaming Demons

**Markings-Middle Ground  
****Chapter Seventy Three- Dreaming Demons**

The white man's name was Kimimaro, and he was the last in the world with his ability. Faced with the weapon of sand, he did eventually fall, but falling and accepting the fall are two very different things.

When smothered in sand, and feeling it crush in, one thinks about why they do what do. And he did think. He thought about the dark place he spent his young life in. He thought about the people he killed to get out. He thought about the person who found him in the end.

Orochimaru.

He was Orochimaru's dream.

He was. Now Sasuke was that dream.

But Orochimaru saved him. Found him, and saved him.

That made him fight. Even though he was going to die in the end, thanks to disease, he was going to fight it to the very last breath.

And he did. Every power he had, he used. Every spectacular and deadly ability he had, he used. His curse, his gift from Orochimaru, was released and allowed to take over. He slipped from state one to state two, but the sand was everywhere. It was a sea that the red headed shinobi made, and at some point, Kimimaro knew there wasn't going to be an escape for him.

He was going to die.

But he would die willingly for his master.

That's what he thought of in the end. Under a sea of sand, at the bottom of the world, he was sure, he thought of his master.

At that point, he expelled what power he had left.

He gave everything, for someone precious to him.

For the one who found him.

Orochimaru.

* * *

Loor had never seen anyone besides her family die before. Of course, she didn't see any of the white man's remains, but it was still the fact that he was dead. It was kinda... well, creepy. Okay, the whole battle field after the fight was creepy, seeing as the guy had used his last moments to expel every bone in his body. It had made something that looked like a forest of white bamboo where Gaara had created what was truly an ocean of sand, trying to pin down and crush the guy.

In the end, they had destroyed the plain they'd fought on, but the white man was dead.

Gaara had saved her. But more strange, he had saved Lee.

After it all, Lee was finished. He had no strength left for anything, not even walking. He passed out, and Gaara used a portion of the sand to carry him for the walk home.

And it was a walk. Gaara seemed not to be in any rush, and she wasn't going to rush anything either.

Not when he was here.

But where had he come from? How did he know what was going on?

"Tsunade called us." He said, as if he were reading her mind, leaving the death place of the white man behind. "She was sure you needed back-up, but had none of her own to send."

"Oh..." she muttered, nodding.

It was a little awkward. She knew she was staring at him. She couldn't help it. He was here... but he seemed different. He seemed older. He was a little taller, and his duds had changed. He used to wear a black top and pants, white scarf and of course the leather holster for his gourd. Now he wore a red coat with a collar like a turtle neck and long sleeves. It was dark red, and went all the way to his feet. It was closed by what looked to be snaps from the hips up to his neck, and she could see his pants were still black. Instead of the leather holster he wore a blue-purple holster that went over one shoulder and around his torso, clipping in the front. His old white scarf was wrapped around the small part of the gourd, linking it into the holster.

"You're staring." He said.

"I... I know." She sighed. "I... well... you're... here, and..."

"I missed you."

She snapped him a look. She hadn't expected him to break first. On the other hand, he was always so truthful. He told things how they were.

"I missed you too... but this is all so much. I mean... Sasuke, and my sister ran away, and some of the people I know might be dead... And you... my brain is going to melt down while deciding what to react to first."

He suddenly turned to her, stopping and grabbing her, pulling her into a tight hug.

She was surprised from the quick action, but didn't argue. She just rested her head on his shoulder. "Gaara..."

"I want your mind to be clear when you speak with me." He said softly. "We shall meet tonight where we usually do. Now, you worry for your sister and your comrades."

"You're staying in Konoha?"

"I owe these people... mainly you and Naruto, my life. I arranged with Tsunade for my siblings and I to stay a while as long as we pull our weight."

Loor chuckled. "Meaning you wanted to hang out for a while."

He paused for a moment before nodding. "...yes."

He abruptly let go of her and started walking again. She followed him, and the rest of the trip back was silent.

* * *

At home, one could get the whole story at the hospital by listening to the nurses chatter. Sasuke had not returned to Konoha. He had beaten Naruto into a bloody pulp before taking off across the border. Naruto was throughly busted, but he would survive. Fury had returned. She and Kiba had been rescued by Kankuro, who had killed Sakon using Crow and Ant in combination. Kiba was beat up, and so was Akamaru. Neither him nor his dog would be taking walks for a while. Shikamaru, who had fought Tayuya, came off with a broken finger. Temari had helped Shikamaru with the fight and killed Tayuya. Lee just needed rest after over extending himself against the white man.

That wasn't who everyone was worried about though. Choji and Neji had both killed their targets. Choji had killed Jirobo, but was brought back to Konoha to go straight into the ER. Neji had taken huge amounts of damage and had been pierced through the chest. He's also gone straight to the ER with a whole team of medic nin.

Loor has passed the ERs. There were waiting rooms just outside the doors, just like the operating room Lee had gone into. Outside where Choji was, Shikamaru and Ino were waiting to hear about it.

But she didn't stop for Choji. She went down the hall.

She went to wait for Neji. No one was waiting there.

She snorted. "You that big of an ass?" She questioned out loud, plopping into a chair. It wasn't that she cared about him, it was just that she saw him as an equal. She had the right to worry about his well being.

She had seen a doctor herself, but all she was suffering from was shock. She was told to take it easy for a few hours after she refused to see a therapist.

She wondered how many therapists were in Konoha, with all the ninjas seeing all the nasty things they did. Someone have to keep them sane, or there would be a lot more Orochimaru-type people in the world.

Maybe there wasn't very many. It would explain why Sasuke went off the wall.

"Loor!"

Loor turned her head to look down the hall, and saw her little sister running up with her dog in arms. "Fury!" She greeted, smiling. She got up, opening to hug her.

Fury couldn't hug back, but took it happily all the same. Loor sat down, and Fury sat next to her. "So..." Loor trailed off. She'd usually be angry with Fury for running off, but she didn't have enough mental power left.

"Do you want to know what happened?" Fury asked.

"Please."

"I left because Sasuke came to me saying those sound nin would kill you if I didn't come quietly." Fury said this quickly, as if she were afraid of Loor's reaction to it. "I... I had to go. I never planned to actually leave, I just didn't have a plan to get away till I was already out of the village. But... there's more than what happened to me."

"Oh?" Loor questioned. "Like what?"

"Well... we know why Orochimaru is after us, right?"

"Yeah. World domination." Loor nodded. "And?"

"I found out from those sound nin what they want with Sasuke. Orochimaru... he has a jutsu that lets him live forever."

"You're kidding." Loor stared at her. "So what, he's immortal?"

"Not quite. His soul is still tied in with a body that ages and decays. So... he has a jutsu that lets him steal people's bodies and use them as his own. He marks people that he favors so they get more powerful, but he wanted Sasuke's body... and his kekkei genkai. The sharingan. But more than that... They needed Sasuke as fast as possible because Orochimaru was dying."

"Dying? His arms, right? He mentioned he had a way to fix them when Tsunade refused to heal them... switching bodies must have been his solution. Those dead arms would kill him sooner or later."

"Right." Fury nodded. "I think we might have slowed them down enough that Sasuke didn't make it in time. I'm hoping that Orochimaru had to use someone else. Or better yet, he died."

"I doubt that." Loor snorted. "The snake is ambitious, but he isn't stupid or blind."

Fury nodded, and sighed. "Kiba is in rough shape though. I'm worried about him, and Schizo is sad because she can't play with her brother."

"He'll make it." Loor said. "I'm worried about the people that might not."

Suddenly, the doors to the ER opened, and Neji was wheeled out on a bed.

"How is he?" Loor asked the team of medics that followed the nurses that were wheeling him away.

Only one stopped, and flashed a small smile. "It was close, but we're the best."

Loor smiled, waving him on. "Thank God for small favors." She then looked at Fury. "Go hang with your boy. I got stuff to do." She said while getting up.

"But, Loor..." Fury got up too. "We were supposed to talk today, remember? About..."

"Going home. I know." She nodded.

"Well..." Fury bit her lip. "What do you think?"

Loor sighed. "The smart thing is to go home, where it's safe."

The younger sister looked sad, but she gave an accepting nod. "Then that's what we'll do."

"Tell your boy." Loor said. "I have to break it to mine."

* * *

"Kony!"

Loor yelled as she entered her apartment, tossing her key on the table as she closed the door. She didn't hear an answer, so she saw fit to yell again. "Kony, I'm home!"

No answer.

That put Loor on edge. Not because she was scared something happened to him, because the kid had a thing for playing ninja and trying to surprise her. She looked up at the ceiling, in the bathroom, and the bedroom, before she returned to the main room and found a paper on the table near where she had thrown her keys.

She looked at the paper, sighing. She didn't know kanji real well, but she knew the basics thanks to Naruto, Lee, and Iruka giving her lessons. After squinting at the paper for a few moments, she had figured out what it said.

_Went to Iruka's for dinner. Might spend the night._

_-Konohamaru_

Loor smiled softly.

"Thanks Iruka." She muttered, truly relieved. She didn't want to break it to Konohamaru that she was leaving till he'd been introduced to a new environment. Now that had been handled, she could handle the other half of her personal life.

Reminded, she looked at the vase in the middle of the table.

The flowers had wilted.

"You had to wait one more damn day, didn't you?" She questioned at the flowers, snorting. "You couldn't have wilted yesterday, eh? _No, _had to wait till I'd seen him again."

She stared at the flowers as if she expected them to answer.

"You know, some people might call you crazy for talking to things that aren't alive."

Loor whipped around, hearing the last voice she wanted to hear, besides Orochimaru's.

"Now that I think about it, you are crazy." Lyra giggled. "So it's all wonderful. Talk to the flowers as much as you want."

"What do you want now?" Loor sighed, sitting on the table and picking up her key ring, twirling it on one finger. "You gonna start bothering me now so that when I get to Gaara you're right there, ready to rock?"

"Oh, no, no, no, I'm not meddling with your love life at the moment. I'm trying to correct a major error in your judgment." Lyra, who had been leaning on a wall, walked near to sit next to Loor, leaning on her. Her robe felt like silk, which made Loor sick with herself that she was feeling anything. "Why the hell are you going home when you're perfectly happy here?"

"Why? Because it's safe."

"Oh-ho, that's what your head tells you, but it's not what your heart wants." Lyra got up again, getting in front of her and taking her shoulders. "And what did you ever care about being safe, anyway? I thought you liked living on the wild side."

"Not when it could get my sister killed!" Loor snapped, slamming her keys on the table as she stopped playing with them. "You know what happened today? Fury was in mortal danger. Maybe she didn't get hurt, but she is my sister and I failed to protect her at all! She could have gone to Orochimaru, and it would have been all my fault!"

"Wrong!" Lyra pushed Loor down on the table, leaning over the girl. Loor tried not to think about Lyra's considerable bosom rubbing up against hers, making her feel very uncomfortable. The smell was getting to her too, the overly sweet scent. "It's her fault for not being able to stand up for herself, or willing to risk you! They threatened you, and you would have taken them on! But there's the thing, they wouldn't have come after you! Orochimaru wants you _alive!"_

"Fury wouldn't have thought of that at the time. It's not her fault." Loor was trying to struggle away, but Lyra stayed on top of her with an oppressive grip.

"Then its no one's fault." Lyra's tail was bobbing, straight up in the air and waving back and forth like a metronome. Her ears were forward, intent. "But I'm sure this isn't Orochimaru's last attempt at you two. He wanted you to chase her. Next time, I don't think it'll be so passive. You need to be ready."

"No, I need to go where he can't get us!" Loor roared while pushing Lyra back up, sitting up and finding herself still in close quarters with the beast and her sand caked face. "We need to go home, where we're safe!"

"You need to train, and fight!"

A second later, there was a knock at the door. "Loor...? Are you alright?"

Loor looked over, and quickly pushed Lyra away from the table so she could get off it and open the door.

On the other side... was Lee. He looked a little better now that he'd had a bit of rest at the hospital, but what was he doing here?

"Lee-san." She said, surprised. "I thought you had a key."

"I do. But... I heard yelling. Is it..?" His brown eyes asked, but it seemed he already knew.

"Yeah." She nodded. "It's her."

"I see..." He stood straighter. "Either way, I have been discharged from the hospital. They needed my bed for other, wounded shinobi. May I move back in?"

Loor chuckled lightly. "Lee, it's your apartment. You could kick me out if you wanted to."

He nodded, but he didn't laugh. "Still. You have been living here for so long, I was wondering if you were ready for me to come back."

She rolled her eyes, moving out of the way and motioning him in. "Just get your ass in here."

He stared at her still. "Is it safe...? With her?"

Loor actually glanced at Lyra, though to Lee she was looking at nothing. Lyra did look rather intent, fangs showing, claws poised.

She looked back at Lee. "I'll risk it."

Lyra smirked as Lee came in, shutting the door. "Quite the specimen here, Loor. How have you ignored this one for so long? He's even old enough and everything. Oh... you have to wonder if he's any good."

Loor did her best to ignore, watching Lee go and get settled back in his old room. He was looking about to find that almost nothing had changed besides the fact that there was food in the house now, and that Loor had gotten a set of fridge magnets because Konohamaru had drawn a few things while he should have been listening in school, and she had posted them on the fridge.

"Tsunade talks of making you and Fury Genin for what you have been through." Lee said while returning to his room and sitting on his bed, watching Loor as she took the pillow she'd given to Kony and put it back on her blanket on the floor in the kitchen. "She feels bad for all that has happened, and that you have gotten no reward."

"She don't have to feel bad for shit." Loor answered, fluffing her pillow and looking back at him. "Anyway, there's no point."

Lyra, still prowling about, was standing next to Lee. Her tail was still straight up, bobbing. It lifted her robe, showing that the animal didn't know what underwear was. Lyra was threatening Loor, and Loor knew it. She was close to Lee, one hand poised as if to grab him. She was threatening Loor with another disturbing vision if Loor said something she didn't like.

"Why?" Lee asked, oblivious to Loor's beastly side standing right next to him. He couldn't see her.

"Fury and I have made our decision." Loor answered. "We're going home. Headbands won't do us any good there."

Lyra giggled as Lee's face took on a look of sadness and shock. "Wrong move, Loor. You're going to make him sad." Lyra gave a fake pout. "But I could make him smile."

Loor knew the hallucination had started when Lyra took Lee's chin in her hand, making him look up. She stared on as Lyra pushed him back on his own bed, kissed him, and helped herself to his clothes with her claws. Loor found herself shocked, and embarrassed. She felt the blush on her face and the blank look that had to be in place. For a second she forgot how to escape Lyra's peep show, but remembered before things got bad.

She screwed her eyes shut, looking up and seeing that Lee was still sitting there. Waiting for her to say something.

"I..." She sighed. "I'm sorry." She stood up, walking over to him. Lyra had vanished, or stalked off to somewhere else in the room. It didn't matter, she sat next to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "I... I'll miss you."

"And I, you Loor." He turned to face her. He saw the blush on her face. "Did... did she...?"

"Yeah."

"What did she make you see?" He asked, curiosity driving him. He then realized his question and shut his mouth. "Sorry... never mind."

"Trust me Lee, it's not... you know, _good." _

"But..." He shook his head. "No..."

"What?" She questioned.

"Gaara is here again." He said. "I have no right to ask."

"Ask what?!" She snapped, annoyed.

"Did you like what you saw? Did it...?" He blushed himself.

Loor suddenly realized what he was asking. He was asking if the strange vision turned her on, which was Lyra's goal.

She gave a heavy sigh, brushing a hand through his black hair to get his attention. He looked a her, and she gently kissed him on the cheek.

"You understand where my heart is, Lee."

She then stood up, moving to leave.

"You are going to see him tonight, are you not?"

"Yeah... wish me luck."

* * *

You know, I love Lyra. A lot. I just couldn't stop her from getting into this story, too. I didn't even mean for it to happen, but one idea led to the next during the Tsunade arc and... yeah. Oh well.

Oh yeah, if anyone has noticed the chapters from all stories have started to meander in length. I'm trying to hold myself to a standard of subject matter, not chapter length, when writing chapters now. I hope it works out. ^_^

XP

**No ownage.**

Onward.


	74. Tearstained Goodbye

**Markings-Middle Ground  
****Chapter Seventy Four-Tearstained Goodbye**

Loor found her head surprisingly clear as she walked towards the river clearing, the woods calming her senses as soon as she entered. Even with her occasional vision of Lyra flitting through the trees next to her, she found herself relaxed.

But that was the problem. She didn't want to relax. She wanted to enter that clearing and present with a strong emotion like anger or frustration. She wanted to walk, no, march into that clearing and say all she needed to say before softer emotions got in the way. Instead, she found her body going lax and fluid, and her conquering emotion turned out to be the benign feeling of happiness.

She was happy she was going to see him. Finally, with a clear mind, her whole person embraced the fact that she was going to see him again. Even if one more chance to say how much she loved him was just one more time they'd have to part, knowing that they'd probably never see each other again. Her feet moved her to flow between the trees, relaxed and elated at the same time.

As she moved, she thought on it. How could a person be relaxed and still appear intimidating? Loor knew she's seen someone manage it before, but her mind was drawing a blank on who.

That is, till she saw Lyra slinking through the trees again.

Of course, the beast was always relaxed, yet poised. Still, Lyra didn't have to go around explaining to people that they'd never see their significant other again. She was more in the business of bringing people together, not pushing them apart. Or killing people, though Loor hadn't seen much of that nature yet.

Lyra melodic giggle came through the woods, and Loor had the sense that the demon was snaking through the trees to take a closer walk with her host. "Curious? Well, it's not that much of a challenge. I learned from you."

Loor didn't want to acknowledge Lyra. She really didn't. She felt insane for even looking at the slinking animal. Lyra was weaving through trees, her body appearing fluid as her nose and ears led her and her whole spine and tail followed her like a stream line, perfect balance maintained at all times.

"Still... why would you need a strong front with him? He knows you too well. If you came in like that, he'd know something was wrong. And why would you want to ruin things while the night is so young?" Lyra's musical and devious voice suggested other things that could be done with the moonlight so bright, the full moon only a few days past.

Lyra had gotten another power boost at the full moon, the sand consuming her further. It reached across her face, both of her eyes like Shukaku's now, and down her chest and left arm. It traced her left hand with purple veins, and the bases of her claws had turned a dark gold with a black shine. The oversized fang in the place of her left canine was looking more natural in her mouth now, the other fang beginning to grow to match it.

Her power grew with the passing of the full moons. Loor knew this would continue, till she went from a fledgling half demon to a fully powered demon like Shukaku. She'd eventually be consumed by the sand, completely, but it would seem that this change in power and appearance wasn't changing her personality or abilities. She still shied from light as if it were a killer force, and she didn't show signs of Shukaku's powers such as mentally taking over or creating sand out of thin air or stuff like that.

Loor hoped that Lyra never became like Shukaku in the abilities department.

Lyra sighed slightly, shaking her head like a horse trying to get a fly off of its face. "You forget that I hear every thought that passes between your ears. If you don't want to accept that I'm here, would you stop thinking about me? I'll assume you've got the hots for me."

Loor felt a shot of disgust, and Lyra left off an evil giggle.

Finally, Loor spoke to her demon.

"If you can hear what I'm thinking, how come I can't hear what you're thinking?"

"Are you kidding?" Lyra's voice reflected a roll of the eyes. "First off, I don't think much. I'm not a thinker, I just take a situation and _do_. It's all I know, and I love it. Such a freedom to be away from the burden of thinking. The other thing is... you do hear it. Actually, more accurately, you _feel_ it. You feel my intentions. You know when I'm threatening you, or when I'm going for someone else. You and I are melded together, Loor. We share everything."

Loor blinked. The beast was right. Loor had various senses that kicked in when Lyra was involved. She didn't hear words passing through the beast's brain, but she could most definitely feel where things were going once Lyra was introduced into a situation.

She sighed. Had she not been affected by the woods so strongly to relax, she might have thought on it more, but her mind resigned from the subject. It was let go from her mind, and she looked up to see she was nearing the clearing.

She was close. She had a feeling that he was already there, a sense that he was waiting for her.

"You know... I've never seen your boy in person." Lyra giggled. "This should be interesting. I get to see the one and only male that managed to steal your wolfish heart."

Loor didn't answer, pushing through the tangle of trees to her final destination.

She entered along the river, the bank a few yards to her right. There, facing the bank, he stood. His arms were crossed over his chest, looking into the water that flowed past him as the moonlight reflected soft light back onto his face and into his eyes. He had his gourd with him, as always, but he had actually removed the holster and put it at his feet.

"Hm... interesting outfit." Lyra commented. "You wonder if its held closed with buttons or a zipper. Why don't you go find out?"

Loor shot an angry glare at Lyra, but she couldn't hold it as the woods leeched it away. Her furrowed brow relaxed, and she looked back at him.

"I thought you would be here sooner." He said after a moment, his ice blue eyes drifting lazily towards her. The usually insane gleam in his eye was present, but mollified by something.

She stared at him. Again. On her second pass she focused on his face, feeling her jaw falling loose but not enough for her mouth to come open. He had changed during the months they'd been away from each other in the sense that he was taller and his hair was longer, but as she stared into his eyes she knew something even bigger had changed.

His eyes used to be... different. They were always looking for the next source of gratification, the next way he was going to stint his survival. Those eyes used to hunt, used to seek out prey of all types. Now... they had something else in place of that hunting gaze.

Resolve. His eyes were no longer sharp, hunting ice, they were resolved and smooth as glass. She had no doubt that he could still be hostile, flashing on the fight with the white man, but he didn't have the constant intention anymore.

She felt warmth. He was healing.

"You're staring. Again." He mentioned, still watching her.

She couldn't help what she did next. She took off at a full run, barreling into him with a strong hug. He hadn't been expecting it, but Shukaku didn't protect him because he knew Loor would never harm Gaara. Loor hit him, full force, and nearly knocked him off his feet. By the time he'd regained his balance, she had rested her head on his shoulder, holding him tightly.

She giggled, sounding a little sheepish. "Heh... I missed you."

He nodded, gently returning the hug. "Forceful, as always."

They stood like that for a long time, basking in a particular warmth as they held each other, Loor nuzzling into his neck and taking in the smell on his clothes. It was a dry smell, almost chalky, with cat dust and something she couldn't quite put her finger on. Either way, it was pleasant, and she kept her nose buried in it.

Eventually they broke apart, and she stared at him. Now that she was fully hit with the impact, she felt excitement at his presence. He was here! She lifted her hand, cupping his cheek and smiling as he leaned into her palm.

"You've grown up a little bit." She commented.

He nodded, leaving his cheek in her palm as he answered. "It has been almost two months Loor. I turned thirteen not very long ago."

"Oh." She smiled at him. "Well you've gotten tall enough to make me feel a little short."

"You have grown in other directions, I've noticed."

She blushed. It was true, since she'd bought new bras she found herself filling them more and more as the weeks passed. Everyone in the village kept mistaking her for being older than she was, and she was sure the early bloom was to blame. Her hips had also shown a little growth, but it wasn't as dramatic as other things.

"Well... girls tend to do that." She managed after a moment. "Maybe that's why we're usually shorter than men, our bodies are too busy growing other things."

He allowed a smile. "Perhaps." He then closed his eyes for a moment, that smile still in place.

She stared at him, cocking her head to the side. "What are you doing?"

"Remembering the last time we were here."

She sighed, looking down. "That was a long time ago."

She remembered that night. It was the night he'd taught her how to use fire, but it was also the night that she had admitted to loving him. If she looked around she could still see some of the charred trees that had been their test subjects, but no amount of looking around would show evidence of what had been said.

"Loor..." He had his hand under her chin, making her look him in the eye again. His other hand was wrapped around her middle, bringing her close. His eyes asked a question.

She answered with action.

Their lips met, and she found herself melting into him. At first it was hardly a touch of the lips, as if she were timid of showing her feelings after all this time. At second full contact was made, and she found his lips to be soft and warm. Somewhere between second and third her hands had found his lengthening hair, tangling in the thick red locks as she dared to let her tongue dart out and lick his lower lip.

He kept his tight hold around her middle, and his other hand brushed up the side of her face as this progression continued, getting to her hair line and brushing through her long blond hair, finding it soft and clean for once. He knew better than to think it was just for him, but that's the way he felt about it.

Their kisses grew long and passionate, and that's when Loor broke away from him. She sucked in her lips, giggling, since they were wet from the exchange. But she didn't blush with him. Perhaps she would have blushed for someone she was less comfortable with, but she felt like it was her place; tangled up with him.

Still, her relaxed feelings and content happiness were driven away. Now that she felt release, now that she expressed the feelings that she had wanted to express in all the time he was gone, she was left open to her true reason for being here.

She had to tell him that it was over.

She slid her hand out of his hair, sighing and taking a step back from him. It broke his hold on her, which had been loose and relaxed after they had finished going at it.

"We shouldn't have done that." She said, shaking her head, frowning.

He sensed it. Something was wrong. She was going to say something terrible, but she wasn't happy about it. She had to say it. "I still love you." He said simple, as if a rational for what they just did.

"Why?" She questioned, her eyes going from static to sparking, her hair seeming to stand up with the question. "Why the hell would you love me? What point is there?"

He covered the same ground that she had opened between them when she pulled away, taking her hand. "Love has a point?" He asked, his voice remaining even and simple. "Then my point is this; you made me feel like something other than a monster. You were the first willing to do that, to look at me that way. You were the first one to smile at me, to touch me, since I was six." He was intense, but still calm. "Is that pointless?"

"It just can't be!" She almost seemed to be pleading with him, not answering his question. "This can't be anymore! It has to end..."

"Why?" It was his turn to ask. "Why end something so wonderful?" His eyes then narrowed. "Is this... about Lee?"

She stared at him, and snorted. "Oh God no, this isn't about him. Not even close to being about him. The truth right now is... I'm going home. We've gotten lucky now, twice, but this time we're really never going to see each other again. Ever. I... I'd rather end this now than have to nurse the wound later. It's better to cut than rip."

"Neither is better." He held her hand harder, afraid she'd pull away. "None of this changes how I feel about you... and it shouldn't change how you feel about me. Distance... it's immaterial."

"Nothing lasts forever!" She snapped, in his face. Up close was where she was the most intimidating, but she was stupid to try and intimidate him. She knew she couldn't, it was just what she did automatically. "I love you too, but how long will that last when we don't see each other at all? A few months? A year? Maybe two? Eventually a person has to give up!"

"When a person has hope, anything can last forever." He had taken her other hand by this time, trying to calm her. "But I know that you have never been a hopeful creature. No... you wish reality, and reality has no hope in it. But perhaps if you must leave, you should hold hope like I do... that someday I will find you, no matter how far you go."

"Hope?" She questioned. "You're blind. But people say love does that to a person."

He shook his head at her, but was happy that she'd backed off a little. She looked to the side now, frowning with a sad look in her eye. "You make a person see and call it blindness. Why do you help people get the one thing you've never wanted and then look down at them for it?"

"You wanted it." Her voice was low. It sounded like she was rolling over; playing dead. He was aware it was another tactic. "I never knew I'd get sucked into your... treatment the way I did. In teaching you love... I ended up there with you." She closed her eyes. "To teach is to learn. But it doesn't matter how we made this mess."

"And it doesn't matter how you try to escape." He pulled on her hands, pulling her away from the river bank. "You can leave... leave this mess we made, if that is how you want to look at it. As I said, my feelings are the same."

"It is a mess..." She looked at him. Her face showed the need to be angry, but her eyes showed just how much this was hurting her.

"You don't want to leave." He stated for her, knowing she'd never say it. "You don't want to do this at all."

"What I want doesn't matter. What's needed does. You..." She blinked several times, trying to force tears back, but one escaped, sliding down her cheek. "You don't understand what's going on here."

"Then make me understand." He lent his head on hers, wanting to hold her but knowing better than to do so. He had to know what was upsetting her so before he comforted her.

She looked at him with shiny, damp eyes. Her sparking electric blue was rounded in red, and she shook her head. "No... no... it's not so easy. There's so much to explain... you'd never believe it all. Damn it, why can't you be like a normal person?!" She shook her tears, returning to what seemed to be her default mood; anger. "When someone tries to end a relationship the other person usually automatically hates them and they never speak again!"

"Is that what you wanted?" He felt confused. This hurt her so much, why would she want that?

"It would hurt." She sniffed, trying to get control of her emotions. "When something hurts, its easier to let go of it."

"You want to let go?"

"No... but that's kinda a rule of ending things. You gotta let go..."

"I'll show you what you want me to show you... but it won't be real."

"Why not?" She was sobbing, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I've already told you... none of this is going to change how I feel. Vanish, go ahead. I'll hold out hope that I'll find you again for as long as I have to."

"You'll never find me though... not where I'm going."

"Then tell me."

She wanted to laugh at what he said, and how he said it. Three words, said as if the solution were just that obvious. She just didn't know if she wanted to laugh at him or herself. Was it funny that he thought it was that simple, or was it funny that she'd never thought of that?

"You'd never believe me." Was her excuse.

He gave her a look that invoked words he'd never say. Something along the lines of 'I've lived my whole life with a demon, honey. What's not to believe beyond that?' After several seconds of this look, he then said, "If you think I would not believe you, then show me. If I can see it and touch it, it has to be real."

She shook her head, wishing there was a better way to go about explaining to him that he just couldn't follow. Kakashi and the other adults would never tell him the jutsu to get to her world, she was sure. They'd probably bury it the second she and her sister were gone.

That gave her an idea.

"Alright... but... you're going to have to be sneaky about it. Fury and I are leaving for our home very soon... I'll tell you when. You... you can try to follow us. I'll let you try."

"You're going home?" He questioned after taking her option with a slight smile. "What is left for you there?"

"Nothing." She sighed, tugging on him as she sat down, getting him to sit with her. "But Fury's family is still there, and it's safer there."

"Safer? You're trying to protect her?"

"Of course I am. She's my little sister. People are after us, but she's more vulnerable. If we go home, it's more likely that these people will be noticed should they come after us."

"How is that? Is your home that different?"

She chuckled at him. She wanted to tell him he had no idea, but didn't even bother. He'd never know, so she felt better not perking his curiosity. "Hugely." Was all she said. Then, before he could ask another question, she moved deftly to change the subject. "The full moon wasn't long ago. Have you... been doing what I taught you?"

He seem disturbed by the sudden subject change, but took it all the same. "Not at first. I... I didn't want to. I had no reason why. Instead, I'd run from the village on full moons. Far enough where Shukaku couldn't run the whole way back in one night. He'd try, but he never did. But... about a week before the last moon..."

He trailed off. He looked ashamed.

"What?"

"Kankuro forced me to expend Shukaku by attacking me. Since I have returned to my village I have been harassed by villagers, had rocks thrown at me, been pushed around... Shukaku would protect, but I would not attack. No one could provoke me. But when I saw Crow coming at me... I knew where he had to be standing... I attacked him."

Loor blinked. That whole bit had so much in it. He managed to survive his villagers, but his brother was just a little too much. She could understand it all, but the fact that he hadn't killed any random villagers who harassed him was huge in his progress. "How... how bad?"

"I stopped myself once I got a hold on him, so only bruises."

She stared at him. She could guess the rest of the story herself, no problem. Still, she felt something.

Pride. She was proud of him for holding back, for getting in control of himself.

She launched at him in another hug, knocking him onto his side and laughing as he made a sound of surprise. She had nearly knocked him into his gourd, which was still sitting on the ground.

Her laughing teetered off, and she gave a thoughtful look as he took a hold of her. "I need to tell you something." She said, still holding him herself. "It... it's about Lyra."

He blinked at her, and then came upon the one and only reason she'd bring up Lyra.

That the figment of Loor's imagination... was no longer a figment.

"She lives?" He asked, seeming shocked. She was sure that Shukaku was laughing. She knew the demon was active, even if Gaara slept through the last full moon. Shukaku had to be active for what Gaara had done to the white man. Still, she had to tell him, and she saw no harm in Shukaku knowing as well.

"Yes."

She then sat up, digging into her coat pocket for something. "I wanted to ask you a favor..." She said, eventually producing a little glass vial with a cork in the top. "You gave this to me once."

He sat up, taking the empty vial and looking at it. "It's empty now." He noted, seeing as it had been full of sand, Shukaku's sand in particular, when he had given it to her. "What happened...?"

He trailed off. He seemed to dawn on it on his own.

"It saved my ass while I was testing out a new jutsu, that's what." She showed off her right hand, which had old red marks. "I still got scars. As far as I know, all it can do is protect me, and it's only Shukaku's sand that works."

"Of course. It's laced with his power, his intention. The needs to kill and to protect the host live in each grain." He frowned, looking over at the gourd. "But... I had been hoping that this would not happen."

"I know, but it did." She crawled behind him, hugging him. "What I worry about... is that Lyra gains in power with every full moon. She... she has one of Shukaku's fangs."

"The left canine?"

"Yeah. It's consuming her. It's changing her. Her nature, her personality, hasn't changed, but I'm fearing that this defense could eventually become offense. I wouldn't trust myself with that kind of power; ever."

"You seem to trust me with it."

"You've proven you can control yourself. You proved that when you didn't kill me." She chuckled, squeezing his middle. "But control is one of the things I really fail at when I'm angry, and I tend to be angry a lot. Lyra doesn't help, not since she started arguing with me."

He nodded, and she let go of him as he moved to refill the glass vial. He used the contents of the gourd, seeing as it was hardly a half cup of sand. She watched the controlled stream he was capable of forming, and made a mental note that he had incredible control and dexterity when dealing with the substance.

Her mind absently wondered what things could be done with the sand, besides killing.

She almost blushed at the thought of shackles or handcuffs and things of that nature. By the time she'd come back to earth and out of her dirty mind he was holding the filled vial out to her, all corked up and ready to go. She took it, putting it back into her pocket.

"What does she do?" Gaara asked, looking at her. "Shukaku has his ways of disturbing me, I'm sure Lyra is the same with you."

She shook her head. "I don't want to give Shukaku ideas by saying it. He might decide to do to you what she does to me. I'm sure he can."

He frowned, and then nodded with understanding. It was a good point. Shukaku was far more powerful than Lyra, and probably always would be. If Lyra could do it, so could he.

They stayed in that clearing for a long time. She told him about things that had happened in the village, like her kicking Neji's ass at long last, leaving out the part that she didn't remember the end of the fight. In return he told her about his dreams of becoming Kazekage, inspired by Naruto, and his joining the general troops of the village, which had him out on missions a lot.

She talked a lot more than he did, easily distracted from one subject to another, but he was happy to listen. He would smile at her now and then, and she even got him to laugh, but only once. After village happenings, she moved on to any funny story that crossed her mind. There were tales of her and her siblings escapades, stupid things she had done as a child, and stuff like that. Now and then he'd offer a comment about himself and his siblings, but there were not very many happy stories for him to share.

What was common was that their stories were close to their siblings. Not necessarily their parents, but their siblings most definitely.

It was hours of time spent, sitting out there. Between talking there was affection shared. Now and then she'd kiss him for the sake of, or he'd have her lean on him. The conversation would die, and they'd be all over each other till Loor's ADHD mind came up with another story to tell.

Eventually, Loor realized that the moonlight was gone. The world had gone from blue-gray light and shadows to pure darkness. It was the pre-dawn darkness. When she saw this, she dropped out of the happy mood she'd been in for the past few hours.

"I... guess I should go." She said.

"Hm?" He looked around, noticing what she had noticed. "Maybe so..."

At the time they had been lying next to each other, and she rolled to face him but ended up on top of him. She tried to smile, but her smile was leaving as the morning was coming. In a need to hide, she ducked her head into his neck. "I'll see you later."

He nodded, but he could hear the sadness in her voice. "What's wrong?"

She was shaking her head, trying to keep a hold on herself. But she was too relaxed. Between him and the woods, her emotional defenses were nothing. "I..." Her voice cracked. "I don't wanna leave."

"Don't cry." He said softly, holding her.

She nodded, but she couldn't stop her tears. "I hate this..." She sniffed. "I don't want to leave..."

It took her till dawn to leave the clearing, and the comfort of the woods behind.

* * *

Loved writing this one. So much. I had to write it like three times over, but I feel this particular chapter is well done... which means no one is gonna review for it. I've learned this. Every time I feel a chapter is well done and stands out from the others, no one clicks the review button. Happened in book one too. XP

Weird.

**No ownage. Just fandom. **

-Loor


	75. The Final Decision

**Markings-Middle Ground  
****Chapter Seventy Five- The Final Decision**

"I'm glad you two agreed to see me so early in the morning. I would have seen you later... but things are very busy. You understand, I hope?"

"Oh yeah." Loor chuckled before yawning at the early hour and lack of sleep. "We were part of the action. We get that things might be in rush hour mode."

Loor sat next to Fury, facing Tsuande. This was the meeting they had planned to have the day before, finally happening. Still, Tsunade had called it early in the morning because she had something she wanted to say to the girls before they made their final decision.

"You two did see a lot of action." Tsunade agreed, sighing. "That's why I called you early. I... wanted to offer something in return for the work you two have done. Loor," She locked onto the blond youth. "You helped bring me back to the village, and assisted best you could when Sasuke took off. Though your help was not exactly needed... Fury," She looked to the other girl. "You have shown great growth in your training, and equally great potential as a shinobi. Training with a dog isn't as easy as it looks, or so I've heard. In the Sasuke situation, you acted well to run with the enemy. In another situation, you might have brought vital information home. Your ability to blend in would come in handy." She closed her eyes, pulling something from behind her back.

Loor stared. Tsunade was making quite the speech, and now she had brought forward a small-ish wooden box. She was curious, but also had a feeling that she knew where this was going.

"You two have shown a lot of growth since you arrived here, as I've heard from Kakashi. For the work you've done, and all you two have been through... I thought this was the least I could do."

Tsunade clicked the box open.

Inside were two leaf village headbands. Fury at once started squealing her thank-yous, giving a proper bow to Tsunade before laying her hands on one of the headbands, taking it with reverence. But Loor, she stared, seeming numb. Eventually, she reached forward. She put the headband in her lap, not putting it on like Fury did. The girl tied it onto her forehead, eager and excited. But Loor... she sat, looking at the steel plated headband.

"Tsunade... our final decision is to leave." Loor said quietly. "What good do these do for us?"

Loor's words cut down Fury's excited energy, and Tsunade took on a thoughtful look. "A gift is a gift, Loor. It may mean nothing to the people where you're from, but those headbands say you were worthy to be called shinobi. Wherever you go, I'd be proud of that." She then smiled, softly. "Also, if you should ever so choose to come back, the Leaf village would welcome you."

Loor stood up, holding her new headband in a clenched fist. "We won't be coming back, and I'm sure you'll get along without us."

Fury looked up at her sister. "Loor, you could just say thank you."

"No, no, Fury. She's making a point." Tsuande looked at Loor still, staring at the girl. "You had a long night, didn't you?"

Loor blinked, and then hardened further. "Who is going to teach us the jutsu?"

"Kakashi. He kept what was needed for it."

"How soon could we be gone?"

"As soon as you go to learn the jutsu. It's fairly simple."

Loor nodded, glancing at Fury. "We'll say our goodbyes, and meet Kakashi. Where and when?"

"The training fields." Tsunade gave, looking just as hardened as Loor did. "Sundown. So you have time."

"Time." Loor snorted. "Fine. Make sure he's there."

Loor turned to leave, and Fury stared on helplessly, her mouth slightly open in protest.

"She's upset." Tsuande observed as Loor slammed the double doors to the meeting room behind her. "What did she do last night?"

"She tried to explain to her boyfriend that she was leaving for good." Fury answered quietly. "But... she's so angry. And now, she's acting like her life depends on getting out of here."

"Leaving someone you love hurts... she wants to get it over with so she can stuff it away and try to forget about it. But she'll learn... those memories can't be stuffed under the bed. They come after you. They bite you in the ass."

"I think they already have..." Fury muttered helplessly.

"I'm sure you have a lot of people to say farewell to." Tsunade said. "You should go. The day will drain by faster than you think."

Fury nodded slowly. "Tsunade... were you serious, that if we came back, we'd be welcome?"

"Of course." The Hokage watched Fury with careful eyes. "Do you think you can persuade Loor, though?"

"I can try."

* * *

"Holy shit Naruto-kun... you look like a mummy."

Loor wasn't exaggerating. The kid was completely bandaged up, all but for his face. Sasuke had really gone to town on him, but Naruto had already seen the medics. All that was left was to keep him still long enough for stuff smaller than all the broken bones he had to heal. Still, Naruto's mood was yet to be dampened, so he grinned at this comment, laughing.

"I know, isn't it cool? I just wish I could get a picture or something, but the nurses say it's nothing to be happy about." He smirked, leaning back on his pillow, chilling out for the time being. "They keep telling me to stay down, but I've already gone out a few times for ramen and stuff. Shizune is threatening to strap me to the bed, but like that would work!"

She laughed at him, shaking her head. "Sounds like you." She gave, sitting in the chair next to his bed. Her hands were in her pockets, and her posture was slouched over. She knew Naruto and Lee would be the hardest, so she decided to get them out of the way first. Naruto was first because she didn't want to face Lee just yet. It would be a lot like facing Gaara. "_Nii-san... _I need to talk to you."

"Not before I do, Loor."

Both Naruto and Loor snapped a look to the window of the room. It was being opened from the outside by non-other than...

Jiraiya.

Loor stared as the white haired man let himself in, feeling a snappy comment about using the stairs coming up but swallowing it back down. "What are you doing here, Pervy sage?" She asked in stereo with Naruto.

Jiraiya didn't answer till he was through the window and standing back at his full height. "I have good news." He said, though his tone was somewhat grim to say that not all his news was good. "You remember the Akatsuki, right you two?"

Loor and Naruto looked at each other before looking back at the white haired Sannin. "Of course we do. Why?" Loor questioned.

"Looks like their demon hunting is laying off for the next three years. I've gathered Intel myself that makes it seem like they're going inactive for quite some time."

"Inactive?" Loor questioned. "What are they doing, taking a vacation? I thought they did whatever they wanted to meet their own ends."

"True, but I'm sure their demon collecting is just one item on a long agenda, and they still have a leader in the organization. Trust me, it's not like they're all going to a summer house to chill for three years. They'll be somewhere, in the shadows, doing what they feel needs to be done." Jiraiya shook his head at this point. "But that's not the main reason I came here."

"Then what is?" Naruto inquired.

"I came to ask you a question, Naruto." The Sannin seemed to be serious, looking at the two blond kids intensely. "I'm going to be leaving Konoha again soon. Training, research, seeing the world, things like that. Naruto..." He paused as if he was making sure he had Naruto's attention. "I want you to come with me as my apprentice."

"What?!" Naruto barked. "Are you crazy? As soon as I'm healed up I gotta go after Sasuke! I know what Orochimaru plans to do to him! I gotta go and save him before..." Naruto trailed off, looking sick.

"If you go after Sasuke, I'll have the ABUN Black ops. capture you." Jiraiya said darkly. "You'll just get yourself killed if you go up there. Leaf village shinobi aren't welcome, and no one even knows where the Sound village is located in the Field country. We just know it's there."

"But Sasuke..." Naruto was gritting his teeth. "I promised Sakura I'd bring him back! I never go back on my word, ever!"

"Sasuke's safe for now." Jiraiya assured. "Orochimaru was forced to take a different body before he got there."

"How do you know that?" Loor questioned.

Jiraiya glanced at her and smirked. "My life's work depends on information gathering, Loor. I know a lot about a lot of dangerous people. The fact stands though. Since Orochimaru had to take a different body, Sasuke is safe for a while. Orochimaru can't take bodies like snapping his fingers. He'll have to wait a while, at least three years, before he can take another one. Sasuke is safe for that long."

Naruto stared at Jiraiya with his sapphire eyes for several moments, looking down at his blankets and chewing on his lower lip. After a while he asked, "How long?"

"Hm?"

"How long is this trip you wanna take me on?"

"Oh, two years. Maybe three. All depends on how much sight-seeing we do."

"Fine. I'll go with you, and I'll train hard. When we get back, I don't care what you do, I'll be going after Sasuke."

Jiraiya sighed. "One track mind... impossible to argue with. Let's take it all one day at a time."

With that, he left the same way he came, leaving the window open.

Loor stared after him, looking back at Naruto. "So I guess we're both leaving." She said, her voice almost absent. Her face probably looked vacant too, but that's because she was thinking.

She hated thinking. Thinking always got her into trouble.

"Huh?" Naruto questioned, looking at her.

She shook her head violently, getting her senses back about her. "I came to say goodbye, _Nii-san." _She said sadly. "Fury and I go home today."

"Today?!" Naruto crowed. "But... I thought... you'd be here for longer."

"I know." She sighed. She moved from her chair to his bed, gingerly taking his bandaged hand. "I wanted to be. But Fury and I made our decision this morning. At sundown... we'll be gone."

He looked pleadingly at her. "Can't you come back sometime? Just to visit? Maybe in three years, when me and Jiraiya come back, so you can help with bringing Sasuke back! You could sock it to Orochimaru for what happened to your parents and--"

She put a hand on his mouth to shut him up. "Stop it." She shook her head. "Don't say anything else. This hurts enough without... hoping to fight another day." She slowly took her hand away form his mouth, and he just stared at her for a moment.

"_Imoto-chan..." _He muttered.

She sighed. "I'm glad to have known you... but I don't think we're coming back."

She leaned in, kissing his cheek and standing up.

"But..." Naruto's eyes begged her to see another side of this, but she made a motion with her hand that said there would be no more.

"No buts." She said. "I have other people to say goodbye to."

She left the room, trying not to look back.

* * *

"T-today?" Kiba stammered. "Wow... that's... sudden."

"I know." Fury ducked in the chair she sat in next to Kiba's hospital bed. She and Loor had walked to the hospital together, seeing as several of their friends were hospitalized from the Sasuke retrieval mission. "I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "Don't apologize." He reached out to her, cupping her face. "We knew this was coming."

She nodded, still looking like she wanted to cry, or lay into something. Her face was a strange mix of sadness and anger, but her face took to sadness better than it did rage. She sat there, looking at Kiba with remorse as her mind recognized that she was doing a lot of things for the last time. Like talking to him, and petting Schizo. Akamaru had been treated by Hana, Kiba's sister, who was a vet, and given his own bed at the end of Kiba's.

"Is there any way... I could follow you?" Kiba questioned.

Fury shrugged. She felt so helpless, Loor's words that morning putting something in motion that she was getting carried away by. "It was a jutsu that brought us here. Kakashi is teaching it to us so it can bring us back. If you got him to teach it to you, you could probably follow."

"Damn..." Kiba looked as frustrated as she looked sad. "If I wasn't so banged up, I'd just follow you when you went to go meet him and watch."

"Kakashi would probably find you." She said glumly. "His nose is better than yours."

He frowned, looking at her, and then grabbed her shoulder. Despite being fresh out of emergency care, he mustered enough strength to pull her from her chair and over to his bed. Schizo was dropped to the floor in the process, but she would survive one lap-dumping.

"Hey, hey!" Fury protested, Kiba's claws digging into her shoulder as he pulled her over. He didn't mean to, he was just trying to bring her closer.

He allowed her to settle on his bed, and looked at her seriously. "Please, don't look so unhappy. If this is the last time I get to see your pretty face..." He grabbed her face with both hands. "Please smile."

She stared at him, and then allowed a soft smile. "This won't be the last time. I promise."

"Really? How are you gonna get back with your dragon of a sister breathing down your neck?" He gave one of his toothy grins though. If Fury promised something, she usually kept it. She didn't like joking around because people never got her jokes.

"I think... I think I can persuade her to come back. She's gonna use every excuse in the book because she's hurting though. The dangers of going back, school, parents... but I don't care. I'd rather abandon that life. It sucked."

"Her parents are dead." Kiba pointed out. "You mentioned that kids aren't allowed to live alone where you're from. How are you two gonna stick together?"

"Loor knows her politics." Fury assured. "She'll do everything she can to stick with me. She has the need to protect me. It sucks when she gets all motherly, but sometimes its good that she's so protective. She knows the system well enough to work it."

"Gotta love someone who's ambitious." He snickered. "Especially when her ambition keeps you safe."

"Don't tell me you're worrying too!" She giggled.

"Only a little bit." He chuckled, pulling her down onto him. He was a very physical person, and it came with physical affection that Fury had grown rather used to. "Just... come back soon, okay?" He asked before kissing her on the neck. "I'll miss you. A lot."

She nodded, gingerly hugging him while avoiding his stomach, where he had been stabbed. "I know... I'll miss you too. But... This isn't going to be forever. I'm going to get Loor to let me come back, and she's coming too. I know it's gonna kill her. And... if I don't come back soon enough, you'd better try and come for me."

"You think I'll be able to persuade her better than you?" He questioned, petting her hair and nuzzling her neck like a dog, kissing her again. "I'd be better off if I brought Gaara with me."

"He's currently in town."

"Fury... I was kidding."

* * *

Loor was still in the hospital. No, Naruto wasn't the only one she had a need to visit. She didn't really know Choji or Shikamaru, and Kiba was Fury's territory, but there was someone else that she felt the need to see.

Just one more time.

"So, you survived."

She had to see Neji.

The black haired shinobi looked up at Loor from his hospital bed, obviously drugged up. He had bandages around his chest where there had been a huge hole punched in him. He had survived, but he was still healing. He was hooked up to an IV drip that probably included something like morphine. He didn't move, he just looked at her as she stood at the window in the room, looking out.

"You care?" He questioned, managing to be irritated in his drugged state. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I'm here to tell you that you don't have to worry about me annoying you anymore." She said simply. "Me... or my moments of insanity."

"Oh?" He snorted. "Where are you going?"

"Home." She said simply. "You'll never see me again. I came to say my farewells."

"Farewell."

So simple, so short.

She left, silent.

* * *

Fury had spoken with Choji and Shikamaru before leaving the hospital, and in turn ended up talking to Ino, who had been presiding over Choji. After that she had gone to the streets, seeking out someone else. She had Schizo with her, who was helping her find said person.

Schizo was sniffing the ground, on directive to look for Sakura. The dog had met Sakura before, and knew her smell, so it didn't take long.

Sakura was on one of the bridges that went over the river that wound through Konoha. Fury recognized it as the same bridge that Sasuke had caught her on not two nights ago. The pink haired girl was just standing there, looking into the water. She perked up when Schizo started barking at her, leaning down and picking up the puppy and looking up for the owner. "Fury! You're up and about pretty quickly."

"Yeah..." Fury nodded, walking up and taking her puppy back. "I uh... thought I'd come and talk to you."

"Hm?" Sakura looked at her. "Something wrong?"

"Not... really." She sighed. "Loor and I are going home. Today. We're going around and saying our goodbyes."

"Wow, today? That's sudden." Sakura frowned. "I thought... you guys were going to hang around and help out in the village. I mean, you've been training with us and all. And... aren't you wearing a headband?"

Fury blushed, remembering the steel plate on her forehead. "Tsunade gave one to me and one to Loor after the situation with Sasuke. She thought that we should get something after all we've done for the village."

"But that means you two are genin!" Sakura seemed very surprised. "You can't just leave the village. It's just not allowed."

"Well we are. Remember, Sakura, we're not from here." Fury said this, but her voice was unsure under Sakura's shock. "Part of us coming here was the fact that we'd eventually have to go home."

Sakura looked very lost. "But... I know the rules here. This just doesn't fit... I need to talk to Tsunade about this. Something isn't right."

Sakura marched off without even a goodbye.

Fury stood with her puppy, feeling ever the more helpless. She got the feeling that she might've set something in motion herself.

* * *

Teehee... so close to the end. So very very close. Honestly a lot of this is depressing formality, but hey, you gotta get through the goop.

NEXT!

**No ownage.**

-Loor


	76. Gifts

**Markings-Middle Ground  
****Chapter Seventy Six-Gifts**

Loor had saved Lee for near last. She knew where he'd be; back at his team's training area for the first time in months. Gai was excited to get Lee back up to speed while Neji was down, and TenTen was happy to help.

Loor knew this because she had walked in while they were discussing training for the day. Of course the conversation muted when she entered with such a grim look upon her face. Everyone looked, but only Lee ventured to ask.

"Loor-san... what is wrong?"

She looked at the three she was faced with, and swallowed. She was dreading telling Lee. She had already told Naruto, Neji, Kony, and Iruka, but when faced with the last person she regularly hung out with... she froze.

She forced herself to take a breath. She let it quickly, with the words that needed to be said.

"I'm going home today. I'm not coming back."

Two short sentences. TenTen just blinked, but both Gai and Lee took a step forward as if to beg her to say it wasn't so. Loor didn't look at them first though, she looked at TenTen.

"That weapon you gave me."

"Yeah?" The girl questioned.

"I can't take it where I'm going." Loor stated. "Do you want it back?"

TenTen shook her head quickly. "Oh no! The weapon is yours. Trust me, I'd never be able to give it to someone else. People think it's a bunch of dribble, but I truly believe that weapons and owners get very attached to each other. If I gave your stave---"

"Ryu." Loor cut off. "It... it was named Ryu."

"See, that's what I'm talking about." TenTen smiled. "If I gave Ryu to someone else, it would never feel right in their hands. Never use someone else's weapon; it'll stab you in the back."

"But I can't take it with me."

"I'll keep it." Gai volunteered. "In case you ever come back."

Loor rounded on Gai, ready to chew him out. He knew where she was from, why she couldn't come back, but she held herself back from that. Instead, she gave a slight nod. "Alright. It's back at the apartment. I'll trust Lee to give it to you."

"Sensei!" Lee called attention. "I could keep Ryu. It is already at my home."

"Good man, Lee." Gai complemented. "Ryu is your responsibility then."

Loor looked to Lee, who had not yet expressed sadness at her announcement. "Lee..."

He looked at her, raising his brow. "Is there something wrong with me keeping Ryu for you?"

She stared at him, and then shook her head. "No. Nothing."

"Gai sensei?" TenTen called. "Could you give me some help setting up some mobile targets? I think one of the ones in the woods got jammed."

Gai looked at TenTen strangely at first, but then nodded, understanding what she was doing. "You got it, let's go."

They left the clearing, and Loor was alone with Lee.

"You are not coming back, are you?" He questioned.

"No."

"Well then... will you have one last bout with me? As a parting gift?"

"You want to spar?" Loor chuckled. "We haven't fought since--"

"Since the beginning of your training, I know." He smiled. "I want to see how you've grown."

She chuckled, nodding. "You got it, buddy boy. Just no crying when I smack you around."

He smiled at her cocky words, backing away from her to take his stance. He stood tall with one hand out, the other folded behind his back. Loor took her own stance; sideways and lax.

Loor could feel they were being watched. Gai and TenTen hadn't gone far.

She then realized she couldn't do this. She had the bottle of sand in her pocket! If he swung, it would protect her!

_Lyra..._

_**You think I'm that stupid?! Just fight. I'm not going to protect you from a friend. **_

In her second of thought, Lee had moved. She hadn't expected it, and ducked as he lifted his leg high to kick her square in the head. She was lucky that he was so slow coming out of the hospital, because she felt the air whistle over her head. Had he been a little faster, that would have connected.

She lifted her arms, grabbing his ankle, turning, and throwing him. He took a tough landing on his shoulder, but rolled and got right back to his feet. She felt bad for him, for how weak he had to be feeling after getting saved from the white man, but knew better than to cut him any slack.

She charged, and he moved his arms to block, planting his feet. She didn't care, she brought both hands forward and thrust against his block, hard. His arms were pushed back, but he wasn't bothered, breaking his block to return the thrust with one hand, knocking her back, and following with a knee to her side, throwing her for a spin.

Even if he didn't still have speed, he still had the strength. She was thrown to the ground, not expecting so much from the blow. She didn't stay down though, rolling to her back and then over her shoulders to get back to her feet.

She squared off again, but he was no longer in fighting stance. He was staring at something on the ground.

She looked down too.

"So... Tsunade did give you a headband." Lee noted.

It had fallen out of her pocket when she was knocked down. It lay in the grass, the steel plate shining in the spotty light that came through the trees. He picked it up, holding it out for her. "Why do you not wear it?"

She snorted, snatching it back and stuffing it back into her pocket. "What point is there? I'm going home, remember? They don't care if I'm genin or jonin. Back there... I know what I am. This headband means nothing to them."

"It does not matter what it means to them. It matters what it means to you."

She glared at him. "It don't like what it means to me. It means I earned a place here, and I'm still running away. I'm going home, and it's not even for a good reason anymore... I just found out the main things I was afraid of aren't going to do anything for the next three years. How is that for a frigging slap in the face?!"

He blinked at her, and then shook his head. "You are very strange, Loor. Why do you not just change your mind?"

"The decision has already been made." She stomped at the ground. "I'm going home... and that's that."

"So stubborn..." He walked up to her, digging in her pocket without permission. She tried to throw him off, but he wouldn't be denied till he came away with her headband, grabbing her shoulders and making her turn around. She found him snaking his arms around her, setting her headband around her middle and tying it tightly where she was thinnest. The knot was expert. She'd have no chance of getting it off without help.

"Lee!" She protested, turning and throwing a punch. He caught it.

"If you have a headband, you are to wear it."

"But--"

"Be proud of it or throw it away." He was intense, almost angry. "You want to be strong, and that is a symbol of strength, regardless of who understands it. Wear it."

She stared at him for a moment more, and suddenly went to hug him.

"I'm gonna miss you." She muttered.

"And many people will miss you."

* * *

"Tonight?"

"Yeah... I know. It came up fast."

"No shit. One day isn't much for saying goodbyes. You can't even throw a good going away party with that time."

Loor had come to her final destination for her day.

The sand siblings' hotel room.

She was sitting on Temari's bed as she and her brother Kankuro were working on settling in. They'd only arrived the day before and had probably spent most of the night between the hospital and reporting to Tsunade. Now Temari was putting personal stuff in the bathroom like tooth brushes, and Kankuro was sitting on his bed with his two puppets and a repair and maintenance kit.

"How did you find us?" Temari asked from the bathroom. "I mean... we just got here."

"Gaara told me last night." Loor answered. "Speaking of, where is he? I was supposed to meet him when I knew when I was leaving."

"No idea." Kankuro answered, taking Crow apart piece by piece and carefully cleaning and examining each part. "He stopped in for a little while this morning and took off again. Said he had someone he needed to talk to."

"Huh..." Loor lowered her head.

"I hate to be the mom here..." Temari stuck her head out of the bathroom to look at Loor. "But what the hell were you two doing all night? I mean, Gaara wasn't back till after dawn."

"Catching up." Loor said simply. "It's been almost two months. We had a lot to talk about."

"Yeah, among other things." Kankuro chuckled.

"What are you suggesting?" Loor questioned sharply, turning her gaze upon him.

"C'mon Loor, I caught you two going at it back when we were on the run if you don't remember. I know, Temari knows, and no one blames you two for bein' kids." He chuckled. "Sad fact of shinobi life, a lot of us die young, so a lot of us try to love young before it's too late."

She sighed, laying back on Temari's bed. "I'm no shinobi."

"Really?" Temari was coming out of the bathroom to sit next to Loor. "The headband around your middle says different."

"A gift. From Tsunade, for all the shit I've gone through."

"But it still means you're a genin." Temari nudged her. "You can be proud of that."

Loor snorted, getting to her feet very quickly. "Would people stop telling me that?" She snarled, turning upon her two hosts. "I'm not proud of it, alright? I'm not going to be proud of it no matter how many times people tell me to be! All this little plate of metal commemorates is that I survived!"

"Why not be proud of that?" Kankuro questioned. "Surviving tends to be harder than it looks around here. The Ninja wars aren't far behind us all, there's still a lot of bad blood running around the villages and the countries that support them. Sure, Konoha ended it, but the Leaf still has a lot of enemies out there. We all do."

"Ninja wars?" Loor questioned. "Can that name get any more corny? I feel like I lost an IQ point just saying it."

"Everyone was fighting." Temari put in. "Every village got involved in what started as a little disagreement. Countries pored their entire economies into whatever village that was defending them for the development of new jutsu and weapons. Some terrible things were created during that time. But everyone was fighting everyone... Shinobi against shinobi, and sometimes you fought your own when someone decided to be a traitor." She stared at Loor. "What else would you call it?"

Loor blinked. Temari and Kankuro seemed to accept that Loor was royally sheltered, willing to explain anything to her. But this, Temari was very intense about. Loor could understand, Naruto had told her about the wars too. At the end, the Nine Tailed Fox demon had appeared. The Kyuubi. People went from killing each other to just trying to kill the demon. When it was sealed in to Naruto, when he was just an infant, everyone stopped.

That would be thirteen years ago. Gaara wouldn't have been born yet, and Kankuro would have been just a year and some old, but Temari would have been three to four. At those ages, traumatic memories could form. Her first memories could have been of the brutal slaughter of an enemy, or worse.

"Sounds like a world war." Loor said simply. "That's what they'd call it where I'm from."

"A world war?" Kankuro questioned.

"Yeah. You know, when everyone in the world is involved."

"Everyone in this corner of the world." Temari shrugged. "This is just one continent, and I'm pretty sure no one but maybe the land of Waves knows whats beyond the oceans."

Loor felt very off balance. These people had TVs, light bulbs, and various pieces of construction equipment, and they still hadn't explored the rest of their world by building a very big and very low-tech boat?

Who was she kidding? The wars were recent. People were too busy safe-guarding themselves to worry about who was living in the rest of the world. They'd have to get over their age of war before they'd get to an age of exploration.

"Oh well... I guess the name is fine then. It just sounds a bit... I don't know."

Temari and Kankuro chuckled at her, and she crossed her arms, sticking her tongue out.

"Either way, Loor." Temari smiled, but sadly. "I'm gonna miss you. This place just ain't gonna be the same."

"Seconded." Kankuro put aside his work for the moment, standing up. "Not to mention Gaara's probably not going to smile again for a month."

"Don't go making me feel guilty." Loor sighed, looking down at her feet. Well, she tried. It got harder by the month to see her toes over her boobs.

"He doesn't mean to." Temari got up too, grabbing the shorter blond in a hug. "We're just letting you know that you'll be well missed."

Kankuro joined his sister, and Loor started squirming.

"It's hard for people to miss me if I don't leave thanks to being squeezed to death!" She yelped, and the two siblings let go for the three of them to start laughing at the silly scene. Loor clapped them both on the shoulders and smiled.

"I'm going guys. Wish me luck."

Now she just had to find Gaara.

She never did. She left the hotel and went to the roof tops, knowing that's where he was a lot of the time. After that she went back to the clearing they'd met in the night before, but he wasn't there either. She even went to her apartment, in case he had tried to wait for her there, but he wasn't there.

She couldn't find him, and sunset was getting closer.

She decided she'd return to the clearing. It was the most likely place, and it was the closest to the training field. It's where she could wait the longest for him.

And did wait, as long as she could. She paced up and down the grass, looking to the sky every few moments. It was blue, but the first hints of pink and orange were threatening. She couldn't see the sun itself over the trees, but she watched the color of the sky.

When it was orange, she'd leave.

She paced still, her exhaustion from not sleeping the night before weighing on her. Pacing up and down the place, she would trip on her own feet every now and then. She went to the river and splashed the cold water on her face in hopes of waking herself up a little bit, but it didn't really help. It just shocked her awake for two seconds before she yawned again.

She turned from the river, and nearly took a step back into it.

He had found her.

She stared for a moment, and then glared. "Where have you been? I was looking for you!"

He shrugged. "I know how to find you when I need to see you... and I had to speak with someone else."

"I heard that..." She nodded a little bit, and then walked up to him. They shared a quick hug before she stood at arm's distance. "I'm leaving tonight. I meet with Fury at sundown."

"I know." He looked down. "But I had not heard that you had become genin."

"It doesn't mean anything." She snorted. "I'm gone. No point to a headband... but a gift from the Hokage is still a gift."

He appeared indifferent to her view, and reached into his own pocket to present her with something. "I have a gift for you... though it is a lot like the last one I've given you."

She stared at what he was giving her. It was like the vial of sand he had originally given her, but it was bigger. The glass of the bottle was also molded into a ring over the top where a string had been laced through. It was a necklace... with a larger vial of sand on it.

She understood what this was. He wanted to protect her, even if she went somewhere he couldn't. She took it and tied it around her neck. "Thank you." She then paused before asking, "So who did you need to talk to?"

"No one important to you." Was his simple but vague answer.

There was silence, and she grabbed him in another hug. He returned it, though not as tight as she gave it. He had gotten stronger, but she was still physically stronger than him. After that it loosened and they just held each other in silence.

Loor was holding tears again. This was the last time. The very last time. She'd never see him again.

She glanced up to the sky.

Orange.

"Goodbye." She muttered into his ear, kissing his cheek and breaking away. She forced herself to run, because that was the only way she'd ever be able to leave him behind.

* * *

-Passes out tissues-

Sorry, my mom cried. She cries easy at books though, so I donno how others are gonna react.

**No ownage.**

One last chapter.


	77. Going Home

-Breaks out the booze- BOOK TWO IS DONE!! WHOOO!!!

Sorry, couldn't contain myself there. Obviously there is a to-be-continued thing going on here. Book three is called Punishment and I'll try to get it online soon-ish. Know that it does start out a little slow, and I apologize for that. There was some slow stuff I had to get out of the way.

See you guys next time.

And so we go.

**Markings-Middle Ground  
****Chapter Seventy Seven-Going Home**

"Loor, there you are. We were beginning to think you weren't coming."

Kakashi had said this as Loor arrived. Fury was already there. Schizo had been given back to Kiba, as the puppy couldn't come with. There was no way Fury's family would let her keep the dog. The girls made quick eye-contact, and it was traded that Loor was just as upset as Fury was.

Loor didn't even respond to Kakashi's prodding, which made the silver haired sensei look at Loor curiously before shaking his head. "Did you two finish all your goodbyes?"

Both girls nodded, not saying a thing.

"So lively..." Kakashi muttered to himself. "You two know this decision was yours, right? You don't _have_ to go back home if you don't want to."

"Yes we do." Loor muttered, but even she sounded like she didn't believe it anymore. "There are people who miss us, people who have no idea what happened to us. Other friends, our education..." She trailed off.

Fury looked to Loor, and grabbed her arm to pull her aside, holding up a hand to Kakashi to say they wanted a moment to talk. He nodded.

"Loor, listen to yourself!" Fury hissed once they'd gotten a little ways away. "You sound like... like... like you don't care! Now are we actually going home for a reason, or are we torturing ourselves for no reason?" She stared at her sister with real curiosity in her eyes. She didn't know. "Please... you're the one who sees things straight. See them."

Loor looked at Fury with a vacant face, seeming to look through her. She didn't want to be at the wheel for this, but Fury's question brought her back to a level where she had to think.

And one truth stood out. If Orochimaru wanted them, he'd have to kidnap them. If they went to their own world, that would be a lot harder for him to do. Loor had no need to fear the other things, like the Akatsuki coming after her. Their demon hunting was over for the next three years. But she did need to fear Orochimaru.

The bastard had his arms back. Their main foe was back in action. The smart thing was to leave.

"We're going home to be safer from Orochimaru and Kabuto. If they want to try and take us, they'll do it on our turf." Loor said this, but her conviction was hallow.

Fury still nodded. Loor was being stubborn.

There'd be time to change her mind later.

Turning back to Kakashi, they approached and nodded. "Let's get on with this." Loor said, placing herself as a mouthpiece; per usual.

Their sensei nodded and reached into the pouch that hung off the back of his pants. "Six months ago, Orochimaru was sighted near the village. A group of shinobi, including myself, was dispatched to deal with him. It turned out he was trying a new jutsu. Orochimaru is always making new techniques, it's never enough for him. This one... was the one that brought him to your world."

Loor clenched her fists. This story had to be told one last time. "So how is it done?" She questioned.

"First," Kakashi said, deflecting her question. He pulled out three things from his pouch. He handed two of them to Loor. "Do you recognize these?"

The two items were a worn softball and a photograph. Loor held them both, one in either hand, and stared at them. Of course she knew these items. One was a picture of her house from the back. Her brother had taken it while exploring the swamp in the back, and their parents thought it was a decent shot and kept it. From the back view she could see the cement pad that was outside the lowest level's door, the stairs that led up to the main level deck, and the second set of stairs that led to the upper deck. The house was painted purple with yellow trim since her father loved football. She could see the kitchen window, and the sliding back doors on both the main and upper level.

She stared at that picture, knowing that was where all the horror had happened. At the back of the house. She then looked at the softball. The thing was dirty and beat up. It had probably been in the swamp. The previous owner of the house had been the softball coach and golf coach for the school. He had died of a heart attack in the drive way, and whenever the family found a golf ball or soft ball in the yard Mom would say it was the ghost leaving them presents.

She looked up at Kakashi. "How did you get these?"

"That is the question, isn't it?" Kakashi was holding the third item in his hand. It was a small note book. "When we went after Orochimaru, he and the person he was with had vanished... but they left behind these three things."

"Which means he wanted you to follow him... or to at least know what he was getting into." Loor seemed confused. "But why would he want that? Orochimaru is a sneaky bastard."

"I think he likes leaving a slight path." Fury mused. "He likes conflict, laughing at people who think they've figured it out. He likes leaving a trail... but that's dangerous for him too."

"Well then he lives dangerously... for attention." Loor snorted. "Drama Queen. Either way... what's the note book?"

"It has notes on two of the jutsu Orochimaru was working on at the time." Kakashi informed, once he was welcomed back into the conversation. "First of which was a jutsu that was supposed to make stealing scrolls easy. Working with replacement, it was supposed to take something and switch it with something else of similar mass and shape. So say you took a blank scroll, you could use this jutsu to swap it with a scroll with jutsu or mission plans written on it without even entering the room it's stored in. They were practicing with just a piece of parchment, something went weird, and they ended up with a photograph of a house."

"Not _a_ house." Loor snapped. "My house! They stole this photograph!"

"Not on purpose." Kakashi mentioned. "Anyway... the other jutsu they were practicing with was based off of substitution, but they wanted an escape jutsu that could take a person as far as the end of the earth. Unlimited range. For something like that, you have to know where you're going. According to the notebook, they'd gotten it to work."

Loor blinked. She was getting to understand how she had come to be holding a softball from home. "You had to have seen where you were going. That's right, isn't it? You have to visualize where you're going, and they decided the photograph would make for a good experiment! And... they got to my house... and..."

Pain showed on her face. She didn't like those memories.

"That's right." Was all Kakashi said. "The notebook doesn't talk about targeting an object to switch with. The jutsu seems to just select one in the area on its own. It takes a lot of chakra too. You two probably would only be able to do it once in a day without over doing it, and that's working together."

"I imagine it would take more chakra, the further you're going." Fury said. "It would make sense."

"I'm sure Tsunade will have some research done. If we get lucky with one of the prisoners we took during the Sound invasion, we might be able to lead an invasion on the Sound village itself using this."

"So...." Loor looked antsy. "How do we do it?"

"It's fairly simple." He put the note book away, taking the photo and the softball back from Loor. "But you two don't have enough chakra on your own to perform it. You're going to have to do it together to produce enough energy. Please, face each other."

The two girls stared at him for a moment for turning to look at each other. Kakashi stood near them, where they could both see him.

"Good. Now, you two know the twelve basic animal signs from training with my team, though you've probably only used a few. This is a three sign jutsu, but you'll have to do it together. One of you needs to use your left hand while the other uses their right to form hand signs like you would on your own. Preforming hand seals like this allows you two to pool your chakra directly."

"Okay, enough with the lecture." Loor gave, sounding rather rude. "What signs?"

"Monkey-rat-dog."

Kakashi stood back for the two girls to practice the shared symbols. Loor was left handed and Fury was right handed, so they were both able to use their dominate hands, but their attempts to make three conceptive signs were clumsy. Monkey was simple as putting one palm on top of the other and clasping the thumbs and pinkies, but going from that to rat was difficult. Going from anything to dog was simple, seeing as it was just laying one hand on a closed fist, but it took till the sun had set and the moon had risen for the girls to get the three signs down.

"Alright." Loor looked over at the teacher. "What next?"

"Close your eyes." He said, walking up from where he'd been leaning on a tree. "Both of you. Picture in your head where you want to go. Make sure it's a perfect photo of the place, the best you know it."

"My house." Loor said. "In the back yard, where we spar, Fury."

"Right..." She muttered.

The two closed their eyes, and Loor put her mind to work. She knew the back of her yard well. Beyond the swamp was an area of tall grass and then a line of taller pine trees. It was where she and her sister used to spar oh so very long ago. Her picture was clear, a night scene of the place, and her memory reached further to bring back the smell of the place. The pine, the grass, the not so far away swam scum smell. She wrapped herself in it, remembering it at her place.

"Got it." She said slowly.

"Me too..." Fury muttered. She sounded like she was in a trance, much like Loor did.

"Good. Perform the hand signs, don't lose the picture, and then gather chakra."

"How will we know when it's enough...?" Fury asked.

"You'll know. You'll feel it."

The girls nodded, and did as they were told. They performed the hand seals, and Kakashi watched as they started gathering their chakra together. He could feel their energies pooling, and crossed his arms while stepping away.

Soon the area around them began to be affected by the build up of energy. Blue whips showed visibly, the grass around them bending away as if pushed by a wind that went out at all directions from where they stood. The whisps grew greater in number, flitting this way and that, weaving in and out of each other.

Eventually they made a blue shell of light... and the show ended.

Kakashi walked up to where the two girls had been standing, crouching down to pick up what had been left behind.

"Good students..." He muttered, picking up a broken pine branch. "...such a pity."

"Kakashi?" Called a voice from aside. "Are you sure you shouldn't have told them we were going to be right after them?"

Kakashi turned to see two other sensei entering the area. They'd been there the whole time. "I thought I'd surprise them, Kurenai."

Kurenai and Asuma stood there, ready to go back to Loor's world with Kakashi. They had to finish what they started six months ago.

* * *

Gaara walked alone in the moonlight. Of course he did. Loor was gone, who else would walk with him? Still, the lack of Loor's presence was why he was walking where he was walking.

Towards the hospital.

His gait was slow, calm, as if he had nowhere to be when in fact he had somewhere very important to be. He had a plan, but he felt that to bring it to light he was going to need to include someone.

Someone else was affected by Loor and her sister leaving. Actually, several people were affected, but Gaara was sure this person was affected the most by Fury's departure. He was sure this person would help him after what he had seen.

He was sure.

Gaara had not been able to follow Loor to the training field because he had been intercepted by the two other sensei who were hiding in the brush. They had detected him and told him to go where ever he was going by another way. He hadn't given up that easily though. He had backed away from the area some, and went another way about watching Loor.

Using the sand, he created an eye. It was a technique he had used before, but never had it been so important. The eye had watched all that went on at the training field, but had heard nothing. He knew that they had left by way of some jutsu, but how that jutsu was done he did not know. Just the signs.

And the photo. It had something to do with that photo and the strange ball.

Eventually, he arrived at the hospital, and then found the person he was looking for.

The boy with the dog. Kiba, if he remembered the name correctly. Loor had talked about him once or twice, though never charitably. Of course, the boy was with her little sister. The resentment was understandable.

Upon entering the hospital room he found the boy sleeping. The dog was awake, but incapacitated. Gaara didn't care for the barking and yipping of the small animal, but didn't bother to get rid of it. He wanted to be on Kiba's good side at the moment. Best not to damage the dog.

As the door shut, something jumped at him.

He didn't think, waving a hand as the sand reacted automatically to protect him. He stared at what he had caught mid-air, blinking a few times.

There was a second dog in the room. This one had leapt at him, growing and barking. It looked much like the other dog, but its ears stuck up instead of flopping down. He motioned his hand carefully, putting the dog on the bed next to the other one, but it looked like she didn't want to stay there.

At this point, Kiba started to stir. The dog stopped struggling to get at him and started struggling to go to Kiba. Gaara let the dog go, and it ran to Kiba's pillow, whimpering and licking him.

"Hm...?" He lifted his head slightly. Both dogs were yipping, and he seemed to understand them. "What stranger...?"

He rolled over, and froze.

Gaara sighed. Fear. He was quite used to that reaction, but it never ceased to irritate him. "I'm not here to kill you."

He didn't relax, laying on his back and picking up the dog that had been on his pillow. Both puppies were still whimpering. "Why are you here then...?" Kiba questioned, wary.

"You lost someone today, as did I." The red head stated, not sitting in the chair in the room. He stood with his arms crossed. "I have a plan to bring them back... but it involves stealing something. I do not need your help, but it would be useful... and I assume you would like to be involved."

Kiba stared at Gaara, his brow furrowing in confusion. "You're talking about me stealing from my own village..." Kiba looked down slightly. "Can you imagine the trouble I'd get in?"

"You don't want to see her again?" Gaara questioned. "Loor spoke so... brusquely about how much her sister was taken with you. I would hate to hear that she loved you and you didn't love her."

"I do want to see her!" Kiba snapped, trying to sit up more than he was and laying back again, wincing. He hurt too much to move. "More than anything I want her back, okay?! I... I just..." He gritted his teeth, his fangs showing clearly as he tried to figure out what it was he wanted to say. "Everything sucks... if I wasn't so messed up, I would have made it so she couldn't have ever left. I mean... did you even try to stop Loor?"

"I know better." His dark eyes narrowed. "Trap a cat, it spits at you. She has a need to make her own mistakes."

"So you let her go, and then you're gonna go and what? Call it a rescue?" Kiba shook his head. "She's too stubborn. But... Fury... she'd come back in a heartbeat."

"Loor follows Fury where ever she goes." Gaara said simply. "The two could come to hate each other and Loor would still try to protect the girl out of pity." He shook his head, dismissing the subject. "Will you help me?"

Kiba nodded. "Sure, duh. Just as soon as I'm off this stupid hospital bed, you got it."

"Heal fast." Gaara said, and turned to leave the room.

Kiba watched, petting Schizo and sighing. Gaara was a good ally... but he really hoped that Loor and Fury would come back on their own first.

Hopefully, Fury would persuade Loor, and Gaara wouldn't want his help.

Hopefully.

_**End of Book Two**_

_Mine to have  
__Mine to hold  
__Mine to love  
__Mine to know_

_Love like a string  
__Tied to a finger  
__A person may follow  
__Back to one they know_

_Track it, follow it  
__Know that the person  
__You love  
__Is never gone_

_As long as hope presides_

**---------------------------- **

**LEGAL INFORMATION: I do not own or claim to own Naruto or its attached trademarks and characters. I do claim ownership to the original characters in this work and ask that if someone wants to use them that they get my permission. If they do not do so, they will face a serious ass-kicking from the administration of Fanfiction. Have a nice day.**


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